The first cases of West Nile fever have been recorded in the Khmelnytsky region. This was announced during a briefing by Mykola Gabrykevych, Director General of the Khmelnytsky Regional Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Komersant ukrainskyi
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“Both patients are residents of the regional centre: a 55-year-old man and a 21-year-old girl. The cases are unrelated, and the diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests. The patients sought medical help on 31 August, and were hospitalised at the same time in Khmelnytsky medical institutions,” Gabrykevych said.
He also noted that the patients had symptoms typical of West Nile fever. They had high fever for a long time, headache, muscle and joint pain, weakness, nausea and diarrhoea. The patients are currently undergoing inpatient treatment.
According to the Chief State Sanitary Doctor Igor Kuzin, as of the beginning of August, 69 cases of West Nile have been recorded in Ukraine since the beginning of the year, of which 41 cases were confirmed in August. Most cases were detected in Poltava, Cherkasy, Kyiv regions and Kyiv. Therefore, it is likely that our country will face the problem of this virus on a regular basis from now on.
It should be noted that in Ukraine, West Nile virus is classified as a particularly dangerous disease in Group I and is classified as a risk group IV according to WHO international standards. The virus is similar to other encephalitis-causing viruses and the Dengue virus.
The main source and reservoir of the virus in nature are birds, mainly migratory birds, in whose blood the virus can circulate for 14 to 200 days. Certain species of mosquitoes can also transmit the disease, which become infected while feeding on blood and can transmit the virus to humans or animals. Contact infection with the blood of sick animals is extremely rare.
West Nile fever begins acutely with chills and a rapid rise in body temperature, accompanied by symptoms of intoxication. The febrile period lasts from 2 to 6 days. In severe forms, meningitis or encephalitis can develop.
There is currently no specific therapy for this disease, and its treatment is symptomatic. At the first sign, you should consult a doctor and be treated under the supervision of a specialist, reporting all changes in your condition.
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.