Increasing cases of West Nile virus are taking the world by storm. The West Nile virus, which emerged before the effects of Covid-19 and monkeypox disease, poses a great danger especially for Turkey. The Culex type mosquito, which is the carrier of the virus, is also found in Turkey. For these reasons, citizens need to be aware of the West Nile virus.
NO VACCINE AND DRUG FOUND YET
prof. Dr. Ayşegül Ulu Kılıç said, “Every year millions of people in the world die due to diseases carried by mosquitoes. West Nile Virus, a type of viral infection transmitted by mosquito bites, is also becoming more common day by day. While the incubation period in infected individuals varies between 2-14 days, it is necessary to take precautions to protect against this disease, which does not have a vaccine or medicine yet. West Nile Virus causes infection in humans. West Nile Virus, whose main host is wild birds, is most commonly transmitted to humans by the bite of ‘Culex’ mosquitoes. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. More rarely, it is transmitted by blood transfusion and organ transplantation. It is known that it is passed from mother to baby during birth. Culex type mosquitoes, which carry the virus that caused major epidemics worldwide in the past, are also seen in our country.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE SYMPTOMS
Ayşegül Ulu Kılıç stated that the symptom of the virus is mostly headache, and stated:
“The incubation period of the disease lasts approximately between 2-15 days. After the infection and incubation period, different clinical pictures can be seen. While some cases have no symptoms, others may be severe enough to require inpatient treatment and even death. The symptoms can be listed as follows. Headache is often the first symptom seen in the disease that develops due to West Nile Virus. Back pain is common among the symptoms that mostly occur with flu-like symptoms. Sudden onset of high fever, fatigue and muscle weakness are among the important symptoms. There are also symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash and excessive swelling of the lymph nodes known as lymphadenopathy.
RISK OF PALACE
Kılıç said that 80 percent of those infected with the virus do not have symptoms, and said, “It can be said that 80 percent of people infected with West Nile Virus do not have symptoms. High fever known as West Nile Fever is seen in 90 percent of symptomatic cases in the 20 percent that show signs of the presence of the disease. Nervous system involvement is seen in 1% of total symptomatic cases. As a result of nervous system involvement due to West Nile Virus, the disease defined as West Nile Neuro-Invasive Disease (BNNI) develops. Approximately 65 percent of BNNI progresses with encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), 30 percent with meningitis, and the remaining 5 percent with the type of paralysis defined as acute flaccid paralysis. 1 percent of all West Nile Virus cases result in meningitis, encephalitis, and stroke. While approximately 20 percent of the cases resulting in encephalitis die, this rate is between 10 percent and 50 percent in stroke cases.
LIFE LOSSES ARE MORE OCCURRED IN AGED PEOPLE
“For the diagnosis of the disease, a blood test and spinal fluid test are performed according to the clinical signs and symptoms. Definitive diagnosis is made after antibodies produced by the body’s immune system against West Nile infection are detected in the laboratory environment. There is no vaccine or drug treatment developed for this disease yet. Different treatment methods are applied to improve the patient’s quality of life and reduce the effect of symptoms. However, life-threatening losses due to neurological disease are higher in older people.
TO PROTECT FROM WEST NILE VIRUS
Stating that virus cases are generally seen in the season when flies are high, Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Ulu Kılıç said, “West Nile Virus infection is transmitted to humans mostly by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases usually occur during the seasons when mosquitoes are abundant, which multiply in the summer and continue to live in the autumn. Protection from mosquito bites and spraying are extremely important. Considering that mosquitoes feed at night, long-sleeved clothes should be worn in risky areas. Doors and windows should not be opened for a long time without mosquito nets. Instead, air conditioning can be used to adjust the ambient temperature. Avoiding wetlands is an effective method to prevent mosquito bites. In addition, before traveling to risky areas, it is necessary to control disease outbreaks and use insect repellent drugs.
(UAV)