The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a dramatic rise in the West Nile virus cases in Georgia. Between August 22 and 28, Atlanta CDC claims the number of cases tripled, with figures jumping from two to six. The culprit in the spread is the mosquito, and while numbers remain low nationwide, 33 states have recorded new cases this year.
Around 300 people across the US contracted the virus in 2024, and the CDC notes that 195 of these involved the neuro-invasive strain, which is the most dangerous version of the disease and can be fatal. Also known as West Nile encephalitis, it causes inflammation of the brain and potentially severe complications, including meningitis and flaccid myelitis.
According to CDC figures, around 80% of people with West Nile virus do not experience symptoms, but for the unfortunate 20% that do, these include vomiting, joint pain, rash, fever, and headache. Around 1 in 150 cases develop severe illnesses, including brain inflammation, which is indicated by neck stiffness, disorientation, headache, high fever, tremors, muscle weakness, vision loss, convulsions, and paralysis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the West Nile Virus (WNV) was first isolated in the West Nile region of Uganda in 1937. In 1999, a strain arrived in the United States, thought to have traveled from Israel, and spread from New York City, with several cases noted in the succeeding years. It has also been isolated in Canada.
The WHO confirms that it primarily transmits via the mosquito, which becomes infected from contact with affected birds. It is also transmissible through direct contact between humans and animals, including through their blood or other bodily fluids. A small number of infections have been contracted through organ transplants, blood transfusion, or breast milk. There has been only one recorded case of transmission from mother to child in pregnancy and no instances where it has traveled from person to person through casual contact.
There is currently no vaccine for the virus, and treatment is confined to symptom control, including respiratory support and intravenous fluids. The WHO emphasizes education surrounding the disease and mosquito control as the most effective way of tackling its spread.
