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4 min read<\/p>\n4 min read<\/p>\n
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West Nile virus cases started early this year and continue to be reported around the U.S.Two people in North Carolina recently died from the virus.West Nile symptoms can mimic those of the flu, making it difficult to know what you may be dealing with.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably not as familiar with West Nile virus as the flu, since it\u2019s not nearly as common. But the mosquito-borne virus is pervasive\u201445 states have reported a case of it this season\u2014and it\u2019s been causing an unusually high number of illnesses. The U.S. has recorded 1,328 cases of the virus so far this year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC). Of those, 1,004 were neuroinvasive, the most severe form of the infection that attacks the central nervous system.<\/p>\n And doctors say the actual number of West Nile cases is likely higher. \u201cWest Nile is grossly underreported,\u201d says Thomas Russo, M.D.<\/a>, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York. Most people with the virus have no symptoms at all, making it difficult for public health researchers to know exactly how widespread it is, he points out. \u201cMost cases likely go under the radar,\u201d Dr. Russo adds.<\/p>\n One complicating factor? When symptoms do occur, they often mimic signs of the flu<\/a>\u2014so people tend to treat it as such, meaning, many choose at-home care without seeking an actual diagnosis. But West Nile virus can be deadly\u2014the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services just announced<\/a> that two people in the state have died from it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what infectious disease doctors want you to know about the illness, including signs of the mosquito-borne virus to watch for\u2014and what to do if you think you have it. Meet the experts: William Schaffner, M.D.,<\/a> an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., <\/a>senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; Thomas Russo, M.D.<\/a>, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.<\/p>\n Why are West Nile cases higher this year?<\/p>\n Cases of West Nile virus show up in the U.S. every year, but there\u2019s been a recent surge in numbers. One possible reason is because cases showed up earlier than usual this year\u2014typically, West Nile virus \u201cseason\u201d runs from June to October, peaking in late August to early September, according to the CDC<\/a>. But according to its July 1 news release<\/a>, the U.S. had already seen its highest numbers of cases by that time since 2004. And cases are still being reported now.<\/p>\n Because West Nile is transmitted by mosquitoes, weather plays a big role in case count.<\/p>\n \u201cHeat is the main driver\u201d of West Nile cases, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., <\/a>senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. \u201cA milder winter and hot, humid conditions favor the vector mosquito.\u201d<\/p>\n So it follows in line that the highest number of cases this year has been in California, Arizona, and Texas, although Colorado, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Utah have also seen plenty of cases, Dr. Adalja points out.<\/p>\n \u201cMosquitoes have been more common in areas of the country where it\u2019s been a bit wetter than usual,\u201d says William Schaffner, M.D.,<\/a> an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. \u201cPeople in those areas should be on the alert.\u201d<\/p>\n West Nile virus symptoms<\/p>\n Up to 80% of people with West Nile virus do not develop symptoms of the infection, per the CDC.<\/a> But 20% of those infected will develop flu-like symptoms. Those include:<\/p>\n Add Prevention as a preferred source in your Google search results.<\/p>\n Use your Google account to add this to your settings.<\/p>\n Add to Google settings<\/p>\n FeverHeadacheBody achesJoint painVomitingDiarrheaRash Fatigue<\/p>\n The fatigue and weakness from West Nile virus can linger for weeks or months, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n How to tell West Nile virus from the flu<\/p>\n If that West Nile virus symptom list sounds familiar, it\u2019s because there\u2019s a big overlap there with flu signs. So differentiating West Nile virus from the flu can be tricky.<\/p>\n And while you may think linking your symptoms to a mosquito bite would be the best way to tease out the cause, that\u2019s not necessarily the case.<\/p>\n \u201cMost people never remember the bite, so the pattern of symptoms matters more,\u201d Dr. Adalja says.<\/p>\n What can be more helpful is considering what you don\u2019t have: He suggests suspecting West Nile virus if you have a fever, headache, and body aches\u2014sometimes with a rash, nausea, or diarrhea\u2014but without the cough<\/a>, congestion, or sore throat that\u2019s more common with respiratory viruses like the flu.<\/p>\n There is a test for West Nile virus, Dr. Russo points out. \u201cThe turnaround time is quite variable, and convincing your doctor to give it to you may be tough,\u201d he says. \u201cBut the lack of respiratory symptoms will differentiate it from things like flu and COVID<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n What to do if you suspect you have West Nile virus<\/p>\n Start with the process of elimination. Dr. Schaffner recommends testing for the flu and COVID-19 first. \u201cSince flu is early this year, it\u2019s more likely to be flu, although it could be COVID,\u201d he says. If both are ruled out, he says it\u2019s worth asking your provider if there\u2019s a possibility that you have West Nile virus, especially if you know you were recently bitten by a mosquito.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, there is no treatment<\/a> available for West Nile virus. \u201cThere\u2019s not much you can do\u2014treatment is really supportive,\u201d Dr. Russo says. Doctors will usually recommend that you try to rest, get plenty of fluids, and take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and aches, according to Dr. Adalja.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it\u2019s best to do what you can to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. \u201cThe best strategy is avoiding mosquitoes with repellent, removing standing water around homes, and keeping mosquitoes out of your house,\u201d Dr. Adalja says. And you can also minimize your chances of coming down with the viruses that can cause similar symptoms, too\u2014don\u2019t forget vaccines<\/a> for both flu and COVID-19 can cut down your chances of developing a severe case of the illness or getting sick in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"4 min read Key Points West Nile virus cases started early this year and continue to be reported…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":885545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[97,111189],"class_list":["post-885544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-impressions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
When you feel run-down, feverish, and generally all-around lousy, it\u2019s understandable to think you\u2019re coming down with the flu\u2014after all, cases are ramping up earlier than usual<\/a> this year. But there\u2019s another virus that causes similar symptoms that\u2019s been circulating at higher-than-normal levels, too: West Nile virus.<\/p>\n
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