West Nile Virus

My grandfather went into the hospital on September 7th for what was thought to be a severe sinus infection. Over the next 24 hours, the symptons worsened dramatically. He had a fever of 104, he lost mobility of his arms, legs, hands, etc., he couldn't speak, and a catscan showed extreme encephalitis (swelling around his brain). He was moved into intensive care and put into isolation as they needed to rule out airborn disease such as menangitis. West Nile Virus was one of the probable causes of these symptoms, but a spinal tap needed to be done in order to verify that the disease was in fact West Nile. After 6 attempts in 4 days, the doctors were able to get spinal fluid and conclude that he did in fact have the West Nile Virus.

It was awful to see my Grandpa have to go through all of this. In the beginning the diagnosis was grim. For about a week he had a fever, had to lay on an ice blanket and freeze. He could barely communicate, just by moving his eyes. He couldn't eat or drink anything. Not only was he freezing cold from all of the ice, but he was also in a lot of pain. A virus just has to run its course. There is not much you can do except to treat the symptoms. He spent the next 22 days in intensive care.

This past Friday he was moved into a recovery program. For about a week now he has been able to communicate and he has started to eat normal meals and drink. He is working with therapists to help him to regain mobility. He is now able to sit up, use his left arm and hand and he has some strength in his legs. The road to recovery will be long, but we are so grateful that he was able to beat the West Nile Virus. Luckily he is able to listen and respond, carry on a conversation, make jokes, and remind us all to USE MOSQUITO REPELLENT.

My Grandpa was always a very very smart man. He is a big strong guy who was strong both physically and mentally. He skipped 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade as a kid and graduated high school at the age of 15. He knows everything about anything from bird species to math and physics. He is one of the smartest people I know. It was horrible to see what a mosquito was able to do to him - to bring such a strong person to the point where he couldn't move or even speak. I wanted to wait until he got better to post about this. He is doing so much better now and I really appreciate all of the prayers from our families and friends that have helped our family to get through all of this and bring Grandpa to better health.

West Nile Virus is not something we think about as a regular threat to our health. One of my coworkers even asked "Don't you have a better chance at winning the lottery than getting West Nile?" That use to be the case, but sadly it is no longer the case. In the past 2 months alone, there have been over 50 new cases of West Nile Virus in Illinois and Indiana alone. The number of cases each year has increased dramatically. Looking at these maps you can see how just a couple of cases in New York in 1999 has spread across the US to cause more than 2,500 cases so far in 2007. (Visit the Center for Disease Control Website for larger views of these maps.) http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control07Maps.htm

1999 - 62 cases, 7 fatalities
(all in NY)

2000 - 21 Cases, 2 fatalities
(cases spread from NY to NJ and CT)

2001 - 66 cases and 9 fatalities
(now spreading down throughout the southeast to 10 states total)

2002 - 4,156 cases total with 284 fatalities
(spread almost nationwide, clobbering all of the Midwest and heading even further west)

2003 - 9,862 cases with 284 fatalities -
(covering nearly the entire country)

2004 - 2,534 cases with 100 fatalities
(The avian strain spreaded to Puerto Rico)
2005 - 3,000 cases with 119 fatalities 2006 - 4,269 cases with 177 fatalities

2007 - (as of 10/2/2007) - 2,511 cases with 64 fatalities

How can you prevent West Nile Virus? Here are some notes from the Center for Disease Control's Website. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/

USE INSECT REPELLENT on exposed skin when you go outdoors. Use an EPA-registered insect repellent such as those with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Even a short time being outdoors can be long enough to get a mosquito bite. For details on when and how to apply repellent, see Insect Repellent Use and Safety in our Questions and Answers pages. See also Using Insect Repellent Safely from the EPA.

(I know that we use to be told not to use insect repellent containing DEET, but now itis being made clear that using DEET is one of the best ways to keep mosquitos away. The doctors taking care of my Grandpa clearly told us that we must use insect repellent containing DEET.)

CLOTHING CAN HELP. When weather permits, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent will give extra protection. Don't apply repellents containing permethrin directly to skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.

BE AWARE OF PEAK MOSQUITO HOURS. The hours from dusk to dawn are peak biting times for many species of mosquitoes. Take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing during evening and early morning -- or consider avoiding outdoor activities during these times.

DRAIN STANDING WATER. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by getting rid of items that hold water. Need examples? Learn more on the Prevention of West Nile Virus Question and Answer page.

INSTALL OR REPAIR SCREENS. Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having well-fitting screens on both windows and doors. Offer to help neighbors whose screens might be in bad shape.

REPORT DEAD BIRDS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES. Dead birds may be a sign that West Nile virus is circulating between birds and the mosquitoes in an area. Over 130 species of birds are known to have been infected with West Nile virus, though not all infected birds will die. It's important to remember that birds die from many other causes besides West Nile virus. By reporting dead birds to state and local health departments, you can play an important role in monitoring West Nile virus. State and local agencies have different policies for collecting and testing birds, so check the Links to State and Local Government Sites page to find information about reporting dead birds in your area. Click here for more info about reporting dead birds and dealing with bird carcasses.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF WEST NILE VIRUS.
Serious Symptoms in a Few People - About one 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.
Milder Symptoms in Some People - Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and 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, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

No Symptoms in Most People - Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

HOW DOES WEST NILE SPREAD?
Infected Mosquitoes. Most often, WNV is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread WNV to humans and other animals when they bite.

Transfusions, Transplants, and Mother-to-Child. In a very small number of cases, WNV also has been spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, breastfeeding and even during pregnancy from mother to baby.

Not through touching. WNV is not spread through casual contact such as touching or kissing a person with the virus.

I hope that this information will help some people to become more aware of the West Nile Virus, to be more conscience of the fact that it is a real threat and help people to take precautions to prevent from getting this virus.