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Just One Bite Away From Infection
What You Need to Know About West Nile Virus
What Is West Nile Virus?
West Nile virus infection can cause serious
disease. WNV is established as a seasonal
epidemic in North America that flares up
in the summer and continues into the fall.
This fact sheet contains important information that can help you recognize and
prevent West Nile virus.
What Can I Do to Prevent WNV?
The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to
prevent mosquito bites.
• When outdoors, use repellents contain-
ing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, some oil of
lemon eucalyptus or paramenthane-diol.
Follow the directions on the package.
emptying standing water from flower
pots, buckets and barrels. Change the
water in pet dishes and replace the
water in bird baths weekly. Drill holes
in tire swings so water drains out. Keep
children’s wading pools empty and on
their sides when they aren’t being used.
What Are the Symptoms of WNV?
• Serious Symptoms in a Few People.
About 1 in 150 people infected with WNV
will develop severe illness.
• The severe symptoms can include
high fever, headache, neck stiffness,
stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,
convulsions, muscle weakness, vision
loss, numbness and paralysis. These
symptoms may last several weeks, and
neurological effects may be permanent.
• Many mosquitoes are most active from
dusk to dawn. Be sure to use insect
repellent and wear long sleeves and
pants at these times or consider staying
indoors during these hours.
• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up
• Make sure you have good screens on
your windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
• Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by
to 20 percent of the people who become
infected will have symptoms which can
include fever, headache, body aches,
nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the
chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can
last for as short as a few days to as long
as several weeks.
• No Symptoms in Most People. Approx-
imately 80 percent of people who are
infected with WNV will not show any
symptoms at all, but there is no way to
know in advance if you will develop an
illness or not.
How Soon Do Infected People Get Sick?
People typically develop symptoms between 3 and 14 days after they are bitten by
the infected mosquito.
How Is WNV Infection Treated?
In cases with milder symptoms, people experience symptoms such as fever and aches
that pass on their own, although illness may
last weeks to months. In more severe cases,
people usually need to go to the hospital
where they can receive supportive treatment including intravenous fluids, help with
breathing, and nursing care.
Source Center For Disease Control
More info visit www.cvmvcd.org
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