West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus Many people have encountered a mosquito bite and the side effects that come with being bitten. However, many people do not know about the deadly virus that mosquito’s may carry. The West Nile virus can cause other illnesses known as West Nile fever and West Nile neuroinvasive disease. West Nile virus first came to the United States from Africa. It was initially found in a Ugandan woman in 1937. Sixty-two years later it was detected all over the states in exotic birds in zoo’s, from the death of many crows, and in other animals. All viruses need a host to live off of, this includes West Nile virus. West Nile Virus was originally, and still is, spread between mosquitos and birds. Since birds migrate all around the country, the West Nile virus was easily spread.
The number of interactions between birds and mosquitos is vast. If a bird is carrying the virus and has been bitten, the mosquito has now been infected. Once the host, the mosquito, has been infected the virus then travels throughout the host’s body until it ends up in the salivary glands. Humans become infected because during the warmer months, such as summer, mosquitos are more prevalent and humans are at a higher risk of being bitten. A mosquito bite consists of saliva entering into human tissues and blood stream, thus infecting a new host. Compared to mosquitos, humans are not highly suitable hosts for the virus to survive. The only possible way for humans to infect each other would be through anything to do with donating human tissues, such as organs, or anything containing blood. Although only 25% of people will experience symptoms of the virus it can affect humans in many different scenarios. These include damage to the central nervous system or fevers that may cause hemorrhages. One type of fever humans can get is known as West Nile fever. Complications such as these occur due to the fact that West Nile virus is a part of the Flaviviridae category of viruses. Neurotropic viruses,