Hyderabad: One per cent of the population develops West Nile fever, say epidemiologists in the state. But they claim that it is not being diagnosed as the fever is self-limiting and only in few cases escalates to the level of complications.
The singular case of Nile Fever in Kozhikode in Kerala is one where the state sent samples to the National Institute of Virology for testing and had it confirmed. A senior officer in the state epidemiology wing explained, “Nile Fever is due to mosquito bite and it is from the Flavivirus family. The cases are sporadic and erratic in nature. The female mosquito is mostly found in the paddy growing regions. It is very similar to Japanese encephalitis.”
There is no vaccine developed for the West Nile Fever. Dr Narsimulu K, former Professor of Internal Medicine at Gandhi Hospital, explained: “In 90 per cent of cases, the fever is self-limiting. There are no major symptoms or complications. For this reason, it is treated as normal fever. Only in those cases where in spite of medication there is no improvement in the condition, further diagnosis is carried out.”
According to sources, most of these fevers, which despite diagnosis, do not conform to malaria, dengue or Japanese encephalitis are put under Fever of Unknown origin. A senior officer explained “The task of sending samples to the National Institute of Virology is very cumbersome and many do not opt for it. The state Fever Hospital does not have a diagnosis centre despite being recognised as one.”
Those who come with severe signs of encephalitis, meningitis, tremors, convulsions, severe muscle weakness and coma are the ones who undergo rigorous diagnosis. In some cases eye pain and seizures are also noted. The fatality rate in patients rang-es from 4 to 14 percent. For those above 70 years, it can be 15 to 29 percent.
