Very few people are actually infected with WNV; relatively few mosquitoes actually carry the virus. In fact, according to the CDC, less than one percent of people bitten by mosquitoes will develop any symptoms of the disease. People who are outdoors more are most at risk of being infected, while people over the age of 50 are more at risk for developing symptoms of WNV. Very few children and healthy adults have to worry about WNV. Transmission through medical procedures—such as blood transfusions or transplants—or through pregnancy and nursing is very unlikely.
Symptoms
If you do get infected with WNV, the odds are still in your favor. Approximately 80 percent of infected people will not develop any symptoms, reports the CDC. The vast majority of people who do develop symptoms will only experience mild symptoms, and only about one out of every 150 people will develop serious symptoms. Most symptoms of WNV will appear within 3-14 days of infection.
West Nile Fever. Of the few people that develop any symptoms from WNV, most will experience mild symptoms like fever, headache, body ache, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach, or back. Development of such symptoms has been called West Nile Fever. West Nile Fever will gradually improve on its own, generally over a few days (though some cases have reported the symptoms lasting up to several weeks), and does not require medical attention.
West Nile Encephalitis, Meningitis, and Poliomyelitis. Serious symptoms resulting from WNV infection are very rare—less than one percent of people infected by the virus will develop them—and remember, less than one percent of people bitten by mosquitoes will be infected by WNV. Those that do develop serious symptoms are at risk of neuroinvasive diseases like encephalitis, meningitis, or poliomyletis. Neuroinvasive diseases affect a person’s nervous system, causing swelling in the brain, spinal cord, or the membrane that surrounds the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms include severe headaches, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis. If you experience any of the above, seek medical help immediately.
Treatment
Most cases of WNV can be dealt with by using the same treatments you would use for mild flu symptoms. If you actually do develop any symptoms, you can treat them with medication for headaches, body aches, or fevers.
Serious symptoms require medical attention and may result in hospitalization. But again, don’t jump to conclusions; only one out of every five people infected by the virus will actually develop any symptoms at all.
Is There a Vaccine?
To date, no human vaccine for WNV has been developed, although the outlook is promising. A vaccine has been developed and licensed for horses, but its effectiveness has not been fully evaluated and has not been tested on humans. Not only is its effectiveness in humans completely unknown, but it could be potentially harmful if ingested. Veterinary vaccines are not manufactured to the same standards as those used for human vaccines. They also do not undergo the rigorous testing required for human vaccines. As such, taking veterinarian vaccines or medications could be extremely harmful to humans.