West Nile Fever Kerala: Kerala reported the death of a 47-year-old man because of West Nile Fever on May 29, 2022. The death has become the first fatality attributed to the vector-borne disease in recent times and has sent Kerala Health Department on an alert. The victim was a native of Panancheri in the Thrissur district. West Nile Fever in Kerala had earlier claimed a life in 2019.
The health department of Kerala said that the victim who died of West Nile fever had developed a fever on May 17 and was treated at various hospitals. He was diagnosed with the West Nile Fever two days ago when he was admitted to the Government Medical College in Thrissur.
Reportedly, two people who accompanied the victim of West Nile Fever at the hospital had developed symptoms of the disease and their blood samples have been sent for the investigation.
Man succumbs to West Nile fever in Kerala's Thrissur, State Health Minister orders controlling spread of mosquitoes
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 29, 2022
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West Nile Fever Kerala: What preventive steps are taken to deal with West Nile Fever?
Kerala Health Department said that the preventing and precautionary measures have been taken in the region to deal with West Nile Fever. A dry day has also been declared to destroy the mosquito breeding sites in the residential areas.
Apart from it, more samples have also been collected to ascertain the spread of the fever. As per the Health Department’s data, West Nile Fever can cause fatal neurological diseases in humans. However, approx. 80 percent of those infected do not show any symptoms.
What is West Nile Fever?
As per the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile Fever is the leading cause of mosquito-borne diseases. So far, it has been detected in almost all kinds of mosquitoes and not just the common three- Cluex, Anopheles, and Aedes- but also in the lesser-known types such as Mansonia, Culiseta and Psorophora.
West Nile Fever occurs during the month of summer, unlike other mosquitoe-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya, which occur all year round in India.
West Nile Fever which is spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes had earlier claimed a life in Kerala in 2019.
How West Nile Fever spreads?
West Nile Fever in humans is most often the result of the bites from infected mosquitoes who become infected when they feed on infected birds. West Nile virus circulates in their blood or a few days eventually reaching the mosquito’s salivary glands.
Mosquito bites then transfer the West Nile Virus to the humans and animals, where it can multiply and possibly causes illness.
What are the causes & effect of West Nile Fever?
The bite of an infected mosquito is the commonest mode of West Nile Fever infection in humans. The infection can also spread through the blood transfusion, through exposure to the virus in laboratories or from an infected mother to her child.
West Nile Fever is not known to spread by contact with infected humans or animals, or even when the infected animal is ingested, given that it has been cooked properly.
Unlike the other mosquito borne diseases, West Nile Virus does not cause symptoms in everybody that contracts the virus. Only one in five people develop the symptoms of West Nile and require medication. One in 150 may go to develop a serious illness due to West Nile Fever or even die.
However, West Nile Fever is dreaded because of the effects it has on the brain and neurological system that are often irreversible.
West Nile Fever: What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of the West Nile Fever are the same as in any other viral fever, including headache, fever, weakness, etc. But West Nile Virus can also cause nervous system symptoms such as disorientation, stupor, tremors, convulsion, and loss of vision. Older people are more vulnerable to West Nile fever, as are those with the existing chronic conditions such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes.
West Nile fever: In what regions the infection is common?
West Nile Virus is commonly found in the Middle East. Africa, West Asia, and North America. WHO documents that West Nile Fever was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937. The virus was identified in the birds in the Nile delta region in 1953.
As per the World Health Organisation, human infections attributable due to the West Nile Fever have been reported in many countries in the world for over 50 years.
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