The West Nile Virus :: West Nile Viruses Health Essays

The West Nile Virus **Let it be known that I am writing this account in the hope that it may someday benefit future generations, although I hope for their sake that the world has by then tamed the West Nile Virus. First and foremost, mosquitoes are the human beings' enemy in the battle against West Nile Virus. This is not to say that we as humans should declare an all out war on the creatures, but rather that people need to be especially aware during the months of August and September of avoiding those areas (such as those near standing water) which attract mosquitoes. Those who spend a great deal of time outside are obviously more susceptible to mosquito bites, and as such I highly recommend that such persons wear long sleeved shirts and long pants at all times. So far, this method has kept me and a great many of my acquaintances safe from the dreaded bite. Currently, our leading scientists also believe that using insect repellent which contains the chemical DEET will also severely cut down one's chances of being bitten. Yet, we must always keep in mind that relatively few of these creatures are actual carriers of the virus, and that most humans who are bitten by a mosquito will never contract any form of West Nile Virus. If one should be unlucky enough to be bitten by an infected mosquito (who most likely contracted the virus from an infected bird), there are certain symptoms which have been observed in West Nile epidemics which one should watch for. My curious readers, I must emphasize the fact that per my own observations, up to 80% of those persons bitten by an infected mosquito will be asymptomatic and thus will have nothing to worry about. Yet those who develop what we are currently calling the "mild symptoms" of the virus, may exhibit any combination of the following symptoms: fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and swollen lymph glands. One will exhibit any or all of these wretched symptoms, which I myself have observed to last no more than a few days. Yet with this form of the virus, death and permanent neurological damage have yet to occur as a direct result. The mild symptoms make up what we are referring to as "West Nile Fever," as opposed to the much more severe cases of the virus which are being classified in three groups at this point in time: West Nile encephalitis, West Nile meningitis, and West Nile poliomyelitis.