West Nile virus could strike 500,000 in U.S. this year
Hospital Safety Connection, September 23, 2003
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Approximately 500,000 Americans will catch West Nile virus this year, although most will show no symptoms and about 100,000 will suffer through a three-day bout of fever, the Associated Press reports.
Only about one in 150 of people who catch the virus suffer severe neurological symptoms, says Lyle Petersen, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mosquito-borne diseases division. He spoke September 16 at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Typical symptoms of the milder illness, called West Nile fever, include three to five days of fever, headache, eye pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This may be followed by a red rash and several weeks of fatigue.
The CDC reports that as of September 16, 67 people have died of West Nile infections, about the same as last year's total at this time. That number does not include three deaths reported in the last few days by Minnesota health authorities. Colorado has been hit the hardest, with 19 deaths and 1,214 cases reported.
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