West Nile meningitis is an infectious disease transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, direct human-to-human transmission not being possible. The reservoir of the virus is represented by migratory birds that are bitten by mosquitoes.
Lately, there have been sporadic cases of infection with the West Nile virus (West Nile, the name of a district in Uganda where the virus was isolated for the first time in 1937), unfortunately there have also been a few deaths, one of which was recorded just days past, at the Oradea County Hospital.
The virus circulates mainly in tropical areas, but it also reached Romania, being the known epidemic of 1996, the largest in Europe (in 2010 there was also an epidemic in Greece), totaling almost 400 cases. Since 1997, the health authorities have instituted strict disease monitoring measures.
There is currently no specific vaccine for West Nile meningitis. The first symptoms of the infection are fever, nausea and muscle pain, the onset being similar to viruses.
In about 80% of cases there are no symptoms of the disease. The mortality rate is about 4% of the registered cases, although the number of those infected with the West Nile virus is much higher, the respective people not presenting themselves to the doctor in the absence of severe symptoms.
Careful!
People who have mosquito bites and have fever, headache, vomiting, abdominal or muscle pain and joint pain must see a doctor, only in this way can the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment be established.
Remember!
West Nile meningitis is treated only in the hospital. It is important to prevent the disease, through specific means such as general disinsection, but also through general measures that each of us can take: protection against mosquitoes by installing nets on windows and doors in homes and workplaces, clothing that covers as much more of the body surface in the evening, or the use of various lotions, creams or gels against mosquitoes, as well as the use of electric or electronic devices to destroy them.
2023-09-16 13:33:00
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