West Nile virus disease
West Nile virus disease is caused by a virus that is transmitted by various types of mosquitoes. These mosquitoes bite mainly in the evening and night. The virus mainly infects migrating birds and mammals, but humans can also be infected. The risk of infection is very low.
The infection usually does not cause any symptoms. Flu-like symptoms sometimes occur, such as:
- fever
- headache
- muscle pain
- skin rash
- enlarged lymph nodes
- skin rash.
In rare cases, a severe brain infection or meningitis occurs. These severe symptoms are more common in people over the age of 50 years.
Risk areas
West Nile virus occurs in America, Africa, West Asia, the Middle East and some Southeast European countries, such as France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Coatia and Serbia. Since a few years, a few cases are detected in Germany.
The large majority of reports are received from North America and Canada.