[ad_1]
The number of animals that have contracted West Nile virus has increased this year, which experts say is an indicator of human cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their data Thursday showing that these animal-related cases in New York and New Jersey have increased (the CDC does not specify how much of an increase has occurred).
West Nile virus is most often transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito and leads to West Nile fever. Although most cases have no symptoms, some common symptoms include fever, body aches, and headache. However, in some rarer cases, people can develop encephalitis or meningitis, conditions that can lead to brain damage and be fatal. Those most at risk of developing severe symptoms are people over the age of 60 and those with conditions like diabetes. There is currently no vaccine to protect against.
Dr Denis Nash, professor of epidemiology at the CUNY School of Public Health, said recent weather conditions could increase human cases in West Nile.
“The rain and heat that we have had over the past few weeks are creating some pretty ideal conditions for the proliferation of adult mosquito populations,” Nash said. “There is some activity in animals now, so the precaution is to avoid mosquito bites.”
West Nile cases are more likely to occur during summer and early fall, and the increase in mosquitoes due to this year’s rainfall is most likely to exacerbate the number of human transmissions.
Nash recommends wearing insect repellant both indoors and outdoors, as all types of mosquitoes can be infected with the virus.
He also advises New Yorkers to pay attention to the city’s Department of Health when they alert that cases have been detected and where they are being detected. The DOH has a website listing where the West Nile was found in mosquitoes; since mid-June, these mosquitoes have been found in the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.
According to the CDC, New York state recorded eight West Nile cases, including one death, in 2020, while New Jersey had three in 2020. The CDC only counts cases where people have been hospitalized or detected by blood tests, including at blood donation centers.
While the first cases of West Nile in the United States in 1999 were in New York City, the areas most affected are now in the southern and midwestern United States.
[ad_2]
Source link