The outbreak of Nile fever worsens: 11 died, 153 were infected

Nile fever continues to spread throughout the country and claim victims: the Ministry of Health updates that so far 153 people have been diagnosed with West Nile fever, 11 people have died from the disease so far. Meanwhile, infected mosquitoes were also found in the south of the country. According to a senior official in the health system, there is concern that the total number of infected people reaches at least 300 people, half of them without symptoms.

In monitoring operations of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, mosquitoes were caught in several centers in the center of the country, in Eilat and in the Aylet Regional Council as being infected with the West Nile virus. A day earlier, the ministry had already reported to the Knesset’s health committee that infected mosquitoes were also found in the lowlands and the Sharon region. In Sheba, Ichilov, Beilinson and Meir hospitals, about a dozen patients with West Nile fever are hospitalized, some of them are ventilated and sedated after the virus penetrated the neurological system and also led to brain damage. In the meantime, the hospitals began an experiment with the drug interferon, in which there is experience from the corona epidemic, in an attempt to influence the immune system to eliminate the virus.

Ichilov Hospital has 12 patients hospitalized, 6 of whom are on ventilators in a serious condition. There are 13 confirmed patients hospitalized at the Bilinson Hospital, of which 3 are on ventilators, and in addition 5 more suspected infected and not yet verified in the laboratory tests. At Sheba, 8 people are hospitalized, 3 of them are on ventilators. At the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, 22 people are hospitalized, of which 3 are ventilated in the intensive care unit.

West Nile fever disease is caused by infection with a virus that resides in the wild among birds. The course of the disease begins with mosquitoes that bite birds and transmit the virus to them, which continues to live in the birds’ bodies. In the next step, the mosquitoes bite again, and transmit the virus to animals and humans.

This is a mild disease for the most part, but it can also cause severe morbidity and mortality. The infection usually passes without symptoms. In some cases, a flu-like illness appears which goes away on its own. Symptoms include fever, headache, weakness, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, rash and sometimes nausea and diarrhea.

In about 1% of cases the disease becomes severe, with neurological signs corresponding to meningitis, acute encephalitis or acute flaccid paralysis. The incubation period is usually 7 to 14 days, and in exceptional cases three to 21 days. The disease does not pass from person to person. At high risk are patients with chronic diseases that suppress the immune system, cancer patients with poor immune systems, infants and the elderly. According to the medical literature, the virus is transmitted in nature only by infected mosquitoes, and there is no evidence to suggest infection from an animal to humans. There is no vaccine for humans against the virus. Currently, a vaccine exists only for protection in horses.

There is no specific treatment for the disease. Today, attempts are being made to administer an intravenous infusion of antibodies called IVIG and the drug interferon, thinking that these will strengthen the immune system’s ability to eliminate the virus spreading in the body. Meanwhile, the patients receive fluids, antibiotics to prevent secondary infection and, when necessary, are ventilated. The main way of coping is to prevent mosquito bites through the use of mosquito repellents, window nets and appropriate clothing and reporting to the authorities about mosquito clusters or water reservoirs.

What are the warning signs that require a visit to the emergency room after a mosquito bite?
• Prolonged fever over a week.
• Multiple vomiting with every attempt to drink.
• Failure to urinate for more than 10 hours.
• Rapid breathing (over 20 per minute in an adult, over 40 per minute in a child).
• Decreased state of consciousness.
• Aversion to light.
• Headaches that are unusual in intensity or that wake you up from sleep.