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Homepage | West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus Can Cause Lifelong Symptoms
 WebMD (on CBS) is reporting that a new study on West Nile Virus has found that one out of every 150 people infected suffer from severe nuerological disease. Of those about 40% have serious symptoms such as difficulty walking, memory loss and depression that they may deal with for the rest of their lives.
One in 150 people infected with West Nile virus get severe neurological disease. More than 40% of these patients may have serious symptoms for the rest of their lives, say Kristy Murray, PhD, DVM, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues.
The finding comes from five years of data on 108 Houston-area residents who came down with severe West Nile disease after infection with the mosquito-borne virus. Murray's team evaluated the patients every six months.
A year after their West Nile virus infection, 60% of these patients still had serious symptoms. Five years later, 42% had not fully recovered - and weren't getting any better.
These lasting symptoms included fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, difficulty walking, memory loss, and personality change.
These findings show that WNV is a very serious disease. People should continue to take precautions and avoid mosquito bites as much as possible during the mosquito season. WNV is still infecting thousands of people in the United States each year. 3,598 people were infected with West Nile Virus in 2007 and 121 were killed.
Graphic above is from the CDC's 2007 WNV incidence map.
Posted on March 28, 2008
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West Nile Virus Cases and Fatalities Climb in 2006
 There may still be some outstanding data but it is already clear that West Nile Virus was a bigger problem in 2006 than it was in 2005 and 2004. Just when it looked like WNV may be fading away the number of cases and deaths climbed again. Here is a comparison of 2006 and previous years.
2006: 4219 cases, 161 fatalities (not final)
2005: 3000 cases, 119 fatalities
2004: 2539 cases, 100 fatalities
2003: 9862 cases, 262 fatalities
2002: 4156 cases, 284 fatalities
2001: 66 cases, 9 fatalities
2000: 21 cases, 2 fatalities
1999: 62 cases, 7 fatalities
According to the CDC's data for 2006 Iowa was by far the state hit with the most cases with 984 - nearly 1,000 cases. Texas had the most fatalities with 29 deaths. Hopefully this isn't a new trend and 2007 will be another down year for WNV. West Nile Virus usually peaks in the late Summer and early Fall periods. It won't be something to worry about until the mosquitoes start to come out again. That's not too far away for people living in the southern U.S. states.
Posted on March 5, 2007
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15 West Nile Viruses Cases So Far
West Nile Virus is off to a slow start this year with just fifteen cases reported. Nine of them are the more serious meningitis or encephalitis forms. West Nile Virus usually peaks in the late Summer and early Fall periods so it is still too early to say whether this season will be mild or whether some states will have serious West Nile Virus problems. Here is a look at the outbreaks from previous years. 1999 was the first year West Nile Virus was seen in humans in the United States.
2005: 3000 cases, 119 fatalities
2004: 2539 cases, 100 fatalities
2003: 9862 cases, 262 fatalities
2002: 4156 cases, 284 fatalities
2001: 66 cases, 9 fatalities
2000: 21 cases, 2 fatalities
1999: 62 cases, 7 fatalities
The CDC's West Nile Virus resource which has a helpful FAQ for avoiding the disease can be here. Links to more West Nile Virus resources can be found here.
Posted on July 18, 2006
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West Nile Virus Concerns
Could 2005 be another bad West Nile Virus year? In past years hot dry weather has been associated with some large outbreaks of the virus in states like Illinois and Colorado. There have already been 60+ cases and two deaths confirmed by the CDC and this article on The Moderate Voice provides links to recent news articles mentioning new cases not yet confirmed by the CDC. In years past August and September have been the months with the largest numbers of human west nile victims. Last year was a much milder year with 2,539 cases and 100 deaths compared to 2003's 9,862 cases and 264 deaths. Hopefully, the diminishing trend will continue in 2005 but either way you will want mosquito repellent to protect you. The CDC recommends that you use mosquito repellent with deet. Some deet alternatives can be found here.
Posted on August 1, 2005
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First West Nile Death in 2005 Reported
The first death from the West Nile virus in 2005 has been reported in Missouri. KDSK, a St. Louis news station, said the case was reported in a 70-year-old man from Adair County in northeast Missouri. They cited health officials as saying the man died on June 14th. Last year West Nile virus was not as severe as expected but there were still 2,535 human cases and 98 deaths. There have been 650 deaths from West Nile virus since it was first discovered in the United States in New York City in 1999. The CDC website has a West Nile virus section which provides updates about new cases and methods for avoiding the incurable disease.
Posted on June 24, 2005
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