West nile virus symptoms

A person who is infected with the West Nile Virus could develop an infection in over 3-15 days. This disease is caused by a mosquito bite. Having WNV can be asymptomatic, meaning, the patient could progress with the illness yet his body would continue to appear normal, thus, leading to the notion that there is nothing wrong with him. This causes the fatality as it is estimated that about 20% of patients who are infected with the West Nile Virus would develop West Nile fever.

There are illnesses such as West Nile encephalitis, West Nile poliomyelitis, meningoencephalitis and meningitis (which are neuroinvasive diseases) which could manifest the same symptoms as most severe diseases. WNV could become so harsh that it could result into any of these acute illnesses. When patients remain untreated, the disease could become fatal. On the other hand, if the illness is still at its early stage, here are the most common symptoms that could appear:

• Fever—the body’s surefire sign that it is fighting off an infection.
• Stiffness of the neck
• Disorientation
• Stupor
• Swollen lymph glands—which could also be signs of a simple cold, which is why it is important to look at more symptoms before a proper diagnosis can be made.
• Skin rashes—these are often found on the trunk rather than on any other part of the patient’s body.
• Headache—this is often unexplained or has no apparent cause.
• Body aches or muscular pains.
• In its most severe cases, a patient could also become comatose. When left untreated or misdiagnosed, the patient could even die from this illness.

These symptoms, by themselves, are not fatal but when they become warning signs to having West Nile Virus, it is time to consider some more serious medical attention.