“These are people whose lives were turned upside down in an instant just because of a mosquito”
The doctor notes that the three cases join two other cases of patients who contracted the virus and arrived at the hospital recently. “This is an outbreak, so it is important to alert and warn the public. In all my years as a doctor, I have not seen so many patients who come close to being hospitalized because of the disease. If in one year we are used to seeing one case or in the worst case two – an accumulation of several cases that come from the same area of the country I do not remember. These are people whose lives were turned upside down in an instant just because of a mosquito, some of them suffer from secondary complications that are expected to slow down the rate of recovery from the disease. Unfortunately, the medical literature does not indicate a positive prognosis – many of the patients suffer permanent neurological and functional damage, and the vast majority have difficulty returning to their normal function. In some cases, the disease even causes death.”
However, the doctor clarifies that the virus usually affects relatively older people. “Usually when young people are bitten, they can suffer from the symptoms of a standard viral disease at most – a little fever, stomach ache or diarrhea. On the other hand, for the older public this is a real danger, Because the virus may cause more significant damage. In most cases, patients report relatively mild symptoms such as fever or headaches, but after a few days, if the disease worsens, it may lead to confusion, neurological symptoms and cognitive impairment that is manifested, for example, in confusion or the ability to understand.”
The diagnosis, according to him, is based on a serological test that detects antibodies in the blood and spinal fluid. “If only 5 cases came to us in Ichilov recently, this indicates that there are dozens of undiagnosed patients. It is true that most of the time when it comes to young people this has no meaning apart from the epidemiological importance, but as mentioned adults may be significantly affected by this.”
The main problem, according to him, stems from the fact that so far no effective treatment for the virus has been found. “It’s certainly frustrating because we doctors really have nothing to offer these patients beyond supportive care or treating complications. Many of them are left with motor and cognitive impairments, so it’s very important that people be aware of this and as long as there are mosquitoes out there, use measures to reduce the possibility of infection – installing nets, Applying mosquito repellent preparations and more.”
Roy (pseudonym), whose relative is hospitalized, wonders why the public is not warned. “It is not clear to me why more warnings are not being given and efforts are being made to eradicate the phenomenon. We as citizens have very few tools to combat this, I personally call the municipality and every time they say they are coming to spray, but I see no warnings and no active steps on the matter. It is a scandal that the public is not informed on the subject”.
In the meantime, two patients who were hospitalized as a result of the virus are also reported in Sheba in a stable condition, and were recently released.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection: “We instructed the municipality to act in order to monitor mosquitoes and deal with the hazard”
“Despite the reports of active patients, the Ministry of Environmental Protection does not confirm the fact that the mosquitoes were found in the Tel Aviv area. Dr. Shai Reicher, director of the Ministry’s pest and control division, says that “so far, no mosquitoes infected with West Nile fever have been caught in the Tel Aviv area. However, upon receiving the report from the Ministry of Health, the Pest Control and Control Division of the Ministry of Environmental Protection immediately directed the municipality to act for the purpose of mosquito monitoring and to treat the hazard. The Municipality of Tel Aviv immediately carried out patrols near the areas where the reported patients live for the purpose of monitoring. The Municipality’s employees located a number of locations with standing water sources where mosquito larvae were found, and dried them. The Municipality also put up notices in order to raise the residents’ awareness of the use of protective measures simple and accessible that will help reduce the risk of being stung. At this stage, no additional patients with the disease have been reported.”