West Nile Fever

Published: 11th May, 2024

Context

West Nile fever cases have been recently reported in Kerala.

About

Caused by: West Nile virus (WNV) is the cause of West Nile fever.
In humans, the West Nile virus can induce a fatal neurological condition. All infected individuals, though, might not exhibit any symptoms.
West Nile virus (WNV) is classified by the World Health Organization as a member of the flavivirus genus and a member of the family Flaviviridae's Japanese encephalitis antigenic
WNV is classified by the World Health Organization as a member of the flavivirus genus. It belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family
- Flavivirus is a group of positive, single-strand RNA viruses and mostly have arthropod vectors.
- It cause a number of serious human diseases such as yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, hepatitis C, and West Nile Fever.
Symptoms: fever, headache, exhaustion, aches and pains in the body, nausea, vomiting, sporadic skin rash, and enlarged lymph nodes.
Treatment: At present, there is no vaccine available.
Uganda saw its discovery in 1937. In 2011, Kerala recorded the first West Nile fever case.