The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there were 2,469 cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the United States in 2013, resulting in 119 deaths. In Wyoming last year, 41 cases of WNV leading to one death were reported. Since 1999, there have been 722 documented cases of in Wyoming. Nationally, the peak incidence WNV cases occur during August.
A wet spring and standing water left by the flood is going to make for a banner year for mosquitoes. Those blood-sucking nuisances are the number one vector spreading West Nile, and there have been cases in the Valley before. Mosquitoes carry the disease from infected birds to humans, horses and other mammals which are "dead end" hosts. Other modes of transmission include blood transfusions, organ transplants, exposure in laboratory settings, and from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding.
According to the CDC, 70-80 percent of people who are infected with WNV will not develop any symptoms. About 20 percent of those infected have symptoms including fever, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea and possibly rashes. These symptoms are the result of a febrile illness which most people recover from completely, although fatigue and weakness can last for weeks or even months. Severe neurologic symptoms, including meningitis or encephalitis, present in less than 1 percent of the infected population, but can be life threatening.
Those with medical conditions including cancer, diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, are more prone to neurological cases of WNV. Neurologic symptoms include high fever, headaches, neck stiffness, tremors, seizures, paralysis, disorientation and coma. Full recovery from the severe symptoms may take months and some effects may be permanent. Approximately 10 percent of the population who develop neurological infections will die.
There are no human vaccines or antiviral treatments available for WNV. According to a 2013 paper in the journal "Viruses," efforts are being made to develop a vaccine based on an attenuated measles virus vaccine. For now, prevention measures include limiting contact with potential vectors by wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent, having properly maintained screen doors and window screens, using air-conditioning and draining standing water around your house and work areas. Insect repellents with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol provide longer-lasting protection.
Christina Bobaugh, RN, who is in charge of Infection Prevention and Employee Health at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, suggests homeopathic repellents, but people should research the active ingredients before you believe the claims.
Bobaugh said that testing for WNV involves taking blood or spinal fluid samples and looking for antibodies to the virus. Results can take up to a week to come back from the lab.
Bobaugh said it is important to protect yourself from dusk to dawn, and stay away from stagnant water. If you or your child develop flu-like symptoms during the summer months, and you have been around mosquitoes, it is a good idea to see a doctor "A lot of people don't think about it, they think it's just a mosquito bite, but we get a lot of diseases from mosquitoes. A mosquito bite just isn't a mosquito bite anymore."
Steve Hays, DDS, of Saratoga, and Virginia Parker, of Encampment, can attest to this. Both have had WNV.
Parker was diagnosed with West Nile in August 2011 after a fishing trip on the Sweetwater River in Fremont county. She went to the Platte Valley Medical Clinic in Saratoga with flu-like symptoms. After a week of rest, she ended up at the emergency room, where they tested a blood sample that came back positive for WNV.
Parker contracted the febrile type of WNV, but more than two years later she still suffers from headaches which she attributes to the illness. It took her about two months to feel relatively healthy after being diagnosed with West Nile. Parker feels lucky though, as she knew two people from Lander who died of the disease.
Hays was 61 years old in September 2013 when he was diagnosed with WNV. It was the Friday after Labor Day when he started to feel tired and have flu-like symptoms. While on a trip to Fort Collins, Colo., he went to Urgent Care after he started to lose cognitive abilities and couldn't finish answers to questions he had been asked. He ended up at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland where they performed a spinal tap and tested his spinal fluid for WNV. After developing symptoms of encephalitis they "pumped him full of everything," and kept him hospitalized for four days. For the first three days of his hospitalization he was so incoherent that he could not hold a conversation although he could recognize people. Five days after the spinal tap, after he had been released from the hospital, the results came back and showed he had WNV. His recovery was "dramatic," and he is doing well today whichis better than many who have progressed as far with WNV.
Dr. Steve Hays is very confident that he got WNV from a mosquito bite while hiking in the Snowy Range near Mirror Lake. Nine months later, Dr. Hays, still struggles with mental fatigue; especially in the afternoon. Hays says he can work for several hours and be at the top of his game, but then is totally wiped out at the end of the day. He has also experienced some short term memory loss.
In spite of this, Hays says "I'm lucky, I have a pretty normal life. Where I'm at at a year is probably where I'm going to be for the rest of my life. I've talked to people who have been just devastated." Hays attributes his recovery to being in good physical shape at the time he contracted WNV. Just three weeks prior to being hospitalized, he passed a complete physical with flying colors. Dr. Hays says "I no longer feel invincible...it can happen to you."
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