If you're one who consumes news regularly, then you probably heard about the West Nile Fever. A 47-year-old man succumbed to the illness in Kerala recently, which has caused widespread fear across the country. So before the WhatsApp forwards reach you, we speak to doctors in the city who tell us everything about Nile fever.
As we understand the illness, we need to know how the virus is transmitted. "Nile fever is very similar to malaria, but here, it’s the Culex mosquito that transmits this virus. The mosquito feeds on birds and other animal reservoirs (the habitat in which the agent normally lives, grows, and multiplies), that are infected with the Nile virus, and then transmits it to humans through their bite," says Dr Saranya Narayan, technical director and chief microbiologist at Healyst Laboratory.
What happens once infected? Dr Saranya says, "The symptoms begin to show about three to eight days after being infected. A majority of patients showed mild symptoms like fever, body ache, fatigue, rashes and diarrhoea. Most people recover on their own within a few days."
"Only about 1-4 per cent of patients were seriously affected. They experience severe headaches which do not respond to medicines like ordinary paracetamols. The fever is extremely high and is very similar to meningitis. Another symptom is a stiff neck and worst-case scenario - the patient could go into a coma, and some of them get seizures and die," she says.
She adds that early detection/diagnosis can go a long way in treating the illness before it gets worse. "Those above 50 years of age and others who are chronically ill are more prone to serious infection. People with serious infections might have seizures and muscle weakness later on," she says.
She adds that people must ensure there is no stagnant water around their house. "Remember to cover up when you leave your home, to protect yourself from a mosquito bite. Make sure your house is kept clean. Even animals can be infected so wear gloves while handling animals. You can also infect someone if you donate blood or organs and have the virus in you," she adds.
Dr G Navodaya, consultant, general medicine, Care Hospitals, Banjara Hills says that initial symptoms would be similar to most other viral infections, but the West Nile virus is known to infect meningitis and encephalitis, which affect the brain tissue.
"Once it infects the brain, matters become worse and the illness could turn fatal. Usually, it is the elderly that are more prone to a serious infection of the Nile virus," he tells The New Indian Express.