Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : May 30, 2022 2:10 PM IST
47-Year-Old Man Dies of West Nile Fever In Kerala: What Is This New Virus Infection? How Does It Spread?
The Kerala health department has been put on a high alert after a 47-year-old man from Kerala's Thrissur district died due to the West Nile fever on Sunday. This is the first fatality in the district caused by a vector-borne infection in the last three years. According to the reports, the man had developed fever and other symptoms associated with cold and flu on May 17 and after getting treatment from various hospitals, he was admitted to the government medical college in Thrissur, where he was diagnosed with West Nile fever.
Talking about the preventive measures that the state government is taking, the officials said, "A special team from the medical office visited the locality of the victim and the district vector control board took samples from various parts of the district for testing. Steps were taken to destroy the mosquito breeding sites in the locality.
Apart from this, the state's health department has also issued specific directions to district authorities to stay vigilant and take proper precautionary measures including declaring a dry day to control the spread of the West Nile Virus.
First detected in 1937 in Uganda, West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus. The World Health Organisation in its statement about the virus had stated that West Nile Virus is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese Encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae. The fever is mainly spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes.
The West Nile Virus infection spreads through infected mosquitoes. These mosquitoes primarily belong to the Culex species of mosquitoes. In a statement, the WHO said that first, the mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. After the virus enters the body of the mosquito, it remains in the blood for a few days. The virus then eventually gets into the mosquito's salivary glands. After this whenever the infected mosquito bites any human or any animal, it injects the virus into its blood and thus the virus spreads from one infected mosquito to a human. After entering the human body, the virus multiplies and causes illness.
The West Nile infection is mainly asymptomatic in almost 80 per cent of the infected individuals. However, the rest 20 per cent of the infected people have noticed symptoms such as:
In some severe cases, experts have also noticed that the infection can lead to encephalitis, meningitis, paralysis, and even death.
West Nile Virus spreads through mosquitoes. As summer we are already at the peak of the summer season, the experts have recommended that the only essential way to prevent this illness from spreading is by controlling the growth of mosquitoes and carrying out source destruction.
(With inputs from agencies)
