The following information was taken from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and WestNileFever.com. concerning the West Nile Virus.
West Nile virus is greater during periods of adult mosquito blood-feeding by continuous transmission between mosquitoes and bird hosts. Infectious mosquitoes carry virus particles in their salivary glands and infect susceptible bird species during blood-meal feeding. Birds will sustain an infectious virus in the bloodstream for 1 to 4 days after exposure, after which these hosts develop life-long immunity. A sufficient number of mosquitoes must feed on an infectious host to ensure that some survive long enough to feed again on a susceptible host. People, horses, and most other mammals are not known to develop infectious levels of the virus very often, and thus are probably “dead-end” or incidental-hosts.
West Nile virus has been detected in dead birds of at least 317 species. Although birds, particularly crows and jays, infected with West Nile virus can die or become ill, most infected birds do survive. There is no evidence that a person can get West Nile virus from handling live or dead infected birds. Persons should avoid bare-handed contact when handling any dead animals, and use gloves or double plastic bags to place the bird carcass in a garbage bag or contact their local health department for guidance.
West Nile virus does not appear to cause extensive illness in dogs or cats. There is a single published report of West Nile virus isolated from a dog in southern Africa (Botswana) in 1982. West Nile virus was isolated from a single dead cat in 1999. A survey in New York City of dogs in the 1999 epidemic area indicated that dogs are frequently infected. Nonetheless, disease from West Nile virus infection in dogs has yet to be documented.
There is no documented evidence of person-to-person or animal-to-person transmission of West Nile virus. Because West Nile virus is transmitted by infectious mosquitoes, dogs or cats could be exposed to the virus in the same way humans become infected. Veterinarians should take normal infection control precautions when caring for an animal suspected to have this or any viral infection. It is possible that dogs and cats could become infected by eating dead infected animals such as birds, but this is undocumented.
There is no reason to destroy an animal just because it has been infected with West Nile virus. Full recovery from the infection is likely. Treatment would be supportive and consistent with standard veterinary practices for animals infected with a viral agent.
In last year’s outbreak, most people who were infected with the West Nile virus had no symptoms or experienced mild illness with fever, headache and body aches before fully recovering. In outbreaks in other parts of the world, some persons also developed a mild rash or swollen lymph glands. In some individuals, particularly the elderly, West Nile virus can cause serious disease that affects brain tissue. At its most serious, it can cause permanent neurological damage and can be fatal. Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) symptoms include the rapid onset of severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, confusion, loss of consciousness (coma), and muscle weakness. Death may occur in some instances.
Since I published this article yesterday, I received an email from an acquaintance whose friend is in the local hospital with West Nile Virus. Below is a part of the email:
…She is in the hospital on Morphine. The mosquito bite gave her West Nile and now Viral Meningitis. She is having horrible pain and we are hoping it will get better. Please remember her in prayer.
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