Guide To West Nile Virus Symptoms

West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease. Its symptoms can be so mild that the infected person doesn’t know they have it, to life-threatening when the disorder leads to encephalitis or meningitis. Individuals who have compromised immune systems are in the most danger from the West Nile virus, which is related to the viruses that cause such devastating diseases as dengue fever and yellow fever. As of 2019, there is no vaccine or real treatment for West Nile virus. The only way to prevent it is to discourage mosquitoes from biting. It is most often spread by a Culex mosquito that has picked up the virus from an infected bird. Individuals can also get the virus from ticks, organ transplants, and blood transfusions. Get to know the symptoms associated with West Nile virus now.

Flu-Like Symptoms

Some patients who get West Nile virus may think they have the flu because it can have flu-like symptoms. These symptoms, like those of the flu, come on hard and fast. They include fever, aches all over the body, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Some patients also find their lymph glands are swollen, and others develop a rash. The rash is most often seen on their back, chest, or abdomen. Even though these symptoms can make the patient miserable, they do not last long and are considered the milder symptoms of West Nile virus. They are signs the body is fighting off the infection.

Continue reading to learn about more symptoms of West Nile virus.

Neck Stiffness

Neck stiffness with West Nile virus is more problematic than flu-like symptoms because a stiff neck might be a sign encephalitis or meningitis is developing. With this symptom, the neck itself is sore, and the patient has pain when they try to move it, especially if they try to move their neck forward. This is called nuchal rigidity. It is different from the stiff neck that happens with a strain or sprain, as in those cases the individual has pain when they try to move their head from side to side. The neck stiffness associated with a case of meningitis or encephalitis that’s a complication of West Nile virus happens because the meninges have become inflamed. The meninges are the three layers of tissue that protect the brain and run down the spinal cord. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain itself.

Get the details on the next symptom of West Nile virus now.