Nicholas McDonald

 A potentially serious illness caused by an arbovirus transmitted primarily by mosquitoes.

 1937 isolated in an adult woman in Uganda  1950’s ecology characterized in Egypt  1957 identified as a cause of human meningitis and encephalitis during an outbreak in Israel  1960’s equine disease identified in Egypt and France  1999 first case identified in New York in the United States  2012 identified in some form in all 48 contiguous US States

 Serious Symptoms: 1 in 150 develop high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.  Milder Symptoms: 20% develop fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.  Some show no symptoms at all.

 Some incidence of disease in all 48 contiguous States.  Control through spraying of mosquitoes and avoidance.

 CDC: /index.htm  NIH: /PMH / /PMH /  PA West Nile Virus Control Program: