West Nile Virus
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West Nile virus was first isolated from a febrile adult woman in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937. The virus became recognized as a cause of severe human meningoencephalitis, which is inflammation of the spinal cord and brain, in elderly patients during an outbreak in Israel in 1957. The virus was first noted in horses in Egypt and France in the early 1960s. The first appearance of West Nile virus in North America in 1999 and the subsequent spread in the United States may be and important milestone in the evolving history of this virus. West Nile virus has been described in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, west and central Asia, Oceania, and most recently North America.
West Nile virus is a potentially serious illness. The virus affects the central nervous system, and the symptoms may vary. There are no symptoms in most people, mild symptoms in some people, and serious symptoms in a few people. About one in 150 people infected with West Nile virus will develop severe illness. People typically develop symptoms between three and fourteen days after they are bitten by an infected mosquito...