The first death from West Nile fever has been recorded in Ukraine. This was reported by Komersant ukrainskyi
with reference to TSN.
The disease was registered in Uman, Cherkasy region, in a 65-year-old resident of the region. The man was treated in one of the medical institutions in Kyiv, where the final diagnosis was made.
West Nile Hemorrhagic Fever is a dangerous viral disease that is transmitted through mosquito bites. Some birds and rodents are also carriers of the disease. In severe cases, it is accompanied by fever, inflammation of the meninges and brain matter.
The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. There is a lesion of the mucous membranes and a rash, said Volodymyr Papach, chief sanitary doctor of Cherkasy region.
The disease has a summer-autumn seasonality. Rural residents and hunting enthusiasts are more likely to be affected.
In July and August, cases of West Nile were recorded, in particular, in Kyiv, Poltava, and Kyiv, according to the Regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
They add that the number of cases of this infection has increased this year due to climate change and the expansion of the vector’s habitat.
What is known about West Nile fever
West Nile haemorrhagic fever is a dangerous viral infection transmitted by mosquito bites. In severe cases, it can be accompanied by fever, inflammation of the membranes and brain substance, swollen lymph nodes, mucous membrane lesions, and skin rashes.
The disease is now widespread in many countries in Africa, Asia, and the Mediterranean region. Separate outbreaks have been recorded in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan), the Transcaucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia), as well as in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
An infected person is not a source of infection. To date, there have been no documented cases of human-to-human transmission through safe contacts or infection of healthcare workers, provided that standard infection control measures are followed.
The main source and reservoir of the virus in nature are 17 species of mainly migratory birds, which can carry the virus in their blood for up to two weeks. Some small mammals, rodents, and bats can also be carriers, but the virus remains in them for a much shorter time and in lower concentrations.
The carriers of the disease are various types of mosquitoes that become infected while feeding on the blood of infected birds. Through mosquito bites, the virus can enter the body of humans and animals, where it can multiply and cause disease. Very rarely, contact infection through animal blood can occur. A very small number of human infections occur during organ transplants, blood transfusions, breastfeeding or mother-to-child transmission.
Symptoms of West Nile fever
The incubation period is from 1 to 7 days, and in people with reduced immunity up to 2 weeks. The disease manifests itself in two forms – febrile and neuroinvasive. In the vast majority of people, the infection is asymptomatic, but in 20% of patients, the first manifestations of the disease resemble the flu. Conjunctivitis. Scleritis. Body temperature rises, headache, sore throat, cough, muscle, joint, back pain, nausea, diarrhoea, skin rash, liver and spleen may be enlarged (febrile form).
When the central nervous system is affected, meningitis develops (severe headache, fever, vomiting, with severe intoxication), encephalitis (severe headache, fever, severe intoxication, confusion, convulsions, paresis, paralysis (neuroinvasive form). In such cases, the disease is severe. The mortality rate is from 3 to 10%.
Prevention of West Nile fever
To protect against West Nile disease in endemic regions, comprehensive measures are taken to reduce the number of mosquitoes (e.g., draining swamps).
Individual prevention includes wearing protective clothing, installing mosquito nets on windows and using repellents.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for the disease, and no vaccine has been developed to prevent human infection.
Pathogenetic and symptomatic treatment is used. Infusion therapy is used to relieve the intoxication syndrome. In case of signs of cerebral edema, dehydration is performed, and anticonvulsants and sedatives are prescribed in case of seizures.
History
The virus was discovered in 1939. The most serious outbreak of the disease in Europe occurred in 1996-1997 in Romania, when about 5,000 people fell ill. In 1999, the virus was introduced to New York, after which it spread throughout the continental United States. In 2018, outbreaks of the disease were observed in many European countries, with Serbia, Italy, Greece, Hungary and Romania being the most affected.