by Heather Hamel

Created on: April 11, 2010

West Nile virus belongs to the virus family “Flaviviridae”, which is a part of an encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses. It is thought to have originated in Africa and the Middle East areas, and may have been around for about 1000 years. It has been found in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America. It is mainly transmitted through the saliva of an infected mosquito, though recently it has been discovered that ticks may also be carriers of this virus. The virus can also be transmitted through organ donations, blood transfusions, and to babies through breast milk. 

It has been found in humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, and many other small animals, but it primarily affects birds. The birds are hosts that will magnify the virus once they are bitten, and then the next mosquito that bites them has a stronger version of the virus. Risk factors for serious disease in people include compromised immune systems, old age, and pregnancy. 

Most people affected by West Nile only have very mild symptoms, if any at all. The few that get serious infections can suffer with headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, excessive sweating, fatigue, drowsiness, joint pains, swollen glands, and generally feel like they have a really bad flu. The onset of this will be from 2 to 8 days after the infecting bite, and will likely last about a week or two. Fatigue might last for a few weeks. There may also be a rash in some cases. 

There are even fewer people that can get extremely serious and dangerous complications such as encephalitis, which can induce a coma, brain damage, or death. If a person recovers from this, it will be a very long recovery period, with extreme fatigue. Some people have died from either the encephalitis, or the flu like version of the virus. Others have had permanent neurological effects. There is no vaccine available yet for humans, although one has been developed for horses. 

It is these serious forms of the West Nile virus that makes it of the utmost importance to protect oneself from both mosquito and tick bites, as there can be very serious ramifications for your health. 

Avoid going outdoors at dawn and dust, when the mosquitoes are most active. Make sure all your window screens are intact. Wear light colored clothing that covers you as much as possible. At some garden centres, you can purchase a hat or coveralls with built in netting for going out in the garden or working around mosquito laden areas. Keep your exposed skin covered with a good mosquito repellent. Also spray your clothing. Most repellents will contain DEET, as the active ingredient, but this is a strong chemical and is not recommended for children. Some natural repellents which work quite well include NEEM oil, tea tree oil, citronella, and other lemony herbs. If you are in a tick infested area, check yourself often and learn how to remove ticks from your skin. 

Remove the standing water if possible from around your house. This will be impossible in some areas, mostly rural, if you have a dugout or pond for your water source. Install mosquito zappers at all of your entrances. When mosquitoes get inside your house, and they will, often on your pets, they tend to gather around bright lights. Then you can either swat or vacuum. There is no way to protect yourself from every mosquito, but if you can protect yourself from most of them, this will go a long way in preventing disease caused by their bites.

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