West Nile Virus in Northern Kentucky
In recent years, West Nile virus has emerged in the temperate regions of Europe and North America, including Northern Kentucky. West Nile can be a serious threat to human and animal health. The most serious effect of West Nile is fatal encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain, in humans and horses. West Nile also kills certain species of domestic and wild birds.
Symptoms of West Nile
Most often if you are exposed to the West Nile virus, you will not show any symptoms.
Symptoms of a mild infection: fever, headache, body aches, and swollen lymph glands.
Symptoms of a severe infection: high fever, sever headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis and coma.
Contact your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms. If severe symptoms develop, see your doctor immediately.
Three ways to reduce your West Nile risk
- Avoid mosquito bites
- Mosquito-proof your home
- Help your community eliminate places where mosquitoes can breed
More information on prevention
History
West Nile virus was first isolated from a woman in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The virus was recognized as a cause of severe human meningitis or encephalitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and brain) in elderly patients during an outbreak in Israel in 1957. The disease was first noted in horses in Egypt and France in the early 1960s. West Nile virus first appeared in North America in 1999, with encephalitis reported in humans and horses. The subsequent spread in the United States is an important milestone in the evolving history of this virus.
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