Health
Ministry takes stock of the public health measures for controlling West Nile
Virus
A section of the media has
reported that a seven year old boy from Malappuram District of Kerala is
suffering from a West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne disease, mostly
reported in the continental United States.
Union Minister of Health and
Family Welfare is closely monitoring the situation and has spoken to the State
Health Minister of Kerala in this regard. He has directed for all support to be
extended to Kerala in its prevention and management.
Secretary
(HFW) held a meeting with Additional Chief Secretary Shri Rajeev Sadanandan,
Kerala and reviewed the situation. The Health Ministry has dispatched a
multi-disciplinary Central team from National Centre for Disease Control
(NCDC). The Central team includes Dr. Ruchi Jain, RHO Trivandrum, Dr Suneet
Kaur, Assitant Director, NCDC, Dr E Rajendran, Entomologist, NCDC, Calicut and
Dr Binoy Basu, EIS Officer, NCDC. The team will support the State Health
Authorities in managing the disease.
The Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) has also been alerted and a close watch is being maintained at
Central and State level. There are no reports available so far for spread
of this virus in other parts of the country… (Press Information Bureau,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, March 14, 2019)
Facts about West Nile Virus
· West
Nile Virus is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the
Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.
· The
virus was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in
1937.
· It
is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West
Asia.
· Presence of WNV was documented in north- eastern region of India during the
year 2006 from four districts (Japanese encephalitis (JE) endemic areas) of
Assam; in which 11.6% of serum samples of AES (acute encephalitis syndrome)
cases were found positive for IgM against WNV (these samples were negative for
IgM against JE virus). During an outbreak of AES in Kerala, in May 2011,
presence of WNV was confirmed in clinical specimens. Since then, WNV
encephalitis cases have regularly been reported in Kerala (National
Health Portal of India).
· The
virus is maintained in nature in a cycle involving transmission between birds
and mosquitoes. Humans, horses and other mammals can be infected.
· Transmission: Humans acquire the infection through the bites
from infected mosquitoes. The virus may also be transmitted through contact
with other infected animals, their blood, or other tissues. Transmission may
also occur through organ transplant, blood transfusions and breast milk. There
is one reported case of transplacental (mother-to-child) WNV transmission. To
date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been
documented.
· Incubation
period: 3-14 days.
· Clinical
features: West Nile virus infection may mimic either dengue or
chikungunya like illness.
o The infection is
asymptomatic in 80% of infected persons; in some cases, the infection may lead
to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease (also called neuroinvasive
disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile
poliomyelitis).
o Symptoms of West Nile
fever include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, vomiting, skin
rash on the trunk of the body (occasionally) and swollen lymph glands. Most people recover completely, but fatigue and weakness
can last for weeks or months
o Symptoms of severe disease include headache, high fever, neck stiffness,
stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and
paralysis. Recovery might take several weeks or
months. It is potentially fatal.
- Diagnosis is by detection of IgM antibodies in CSF and serum specimens via IgM
antibody capture ELISA, neutralisation assays, viral detection by RT-PCR
assay, and virus isolation by cell culture. Serum IgM antibody may persist
for more than a year.
- Treatment is supportive for patients with
severe infection which involves hospitalization, intravenous fluids,
respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.
- There is no vaccine
available for humans.
- Prevention: The most effective way to
prevent infection is to prevent mosquito bites. Use insect repellent, wear
long-sleeved shirts and pants, treat clothing and gear and take steps to
control mosquitoes indoors and outdoors.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
No comments:
Post a Comment