In the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, tests are underway for a person who may be infected with West Nile fever. – We cannot confirm it one hundred percent yet, but there is a very high probability of the first domestic case of West Nile fever – said Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, Chief Sanitary Inspector.
Doctor Paweł Grzesiowski in an interview with tvn24.pl said that tests are underway in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship for a patient who has a very high probability of being infected with West Nile fever.
– We cannot confirm it one hundred percent yet, but there is a very high probability of the first domestic case of West Nile fever in Poland. Native, i.e. without contact with tropical countries. However, this should not be a sensational situation, because we reported diseases among birds already in the summer. The person being tested for has not recently been abroad, which means that the infection could have occurred through the bite of an ordinary Polish mosquito, said the Chief Sanitary Inspector.
Dr. Grzesiowski said that a person suspected of suffering from West Nile fever reported to a doctor with symptoms similar to a stroke. He is an adult and stays in one of the hospitals in Lesser Poland.
West Nile fever – what is it, symptoms
In 80 percent of patients, West Nile virus infection is asymptomatic. Symptoms occur only in about 20 percent of infected patients, and in one in about 150 infected people the disease takes the form of a neuroinfection with involvement of the central nervous system.
In the case of a symptomatic infection, when the nervous system has not been affected, the following symptoms occur: fever, fatigue, headaches, muscle weakness, and difficulty concentrating. A papular rash may appear between the 5th and 12th day after the first symptoms appear. In the invasive form, when the nervous system is affected, the patient has a fever and at least one of the following symptoms: acute disturbances of consciousness, disturbances of sensation and reflexes, convulsions, and stiff neck. It was found that the risk factors for the occurrence of an invasive form of the disease are older age, gender (men) and immunosuppression. The consequences of the disease, especially if it is acute, may persist for up to several years after infection; mortality is also higher in the group of patients in whom the disease is accompanied by disorders of the nervous system or is accompanied by complications of other organs.
The mortality rate in this form of infection is approximately 10 percent.
There is no vaccine for West Nile fever for humans. There is no specific therapy for treatment. Treatment is mainly aimed at alleviating symptoms, reducing fever and relieving pain. There is also no vaccine available against this disease. The main method of prevention is to reduce exposure to mosquito bites.
West Nile fever is a viral, zoonotic disease that, according to European Union law, is a category “E” disease, which means that there is an obligation to notify, report and supervise this disease. Supervision involves observing the health and behavior of animals and paying attention to unusual mortality among equids and birds.
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