What is the prognosis for West Nile?

Recovery from severe illness might take several weeks or months. Some effects to the central nervous system might be permanent. About 1 out of 10 people who develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system die.

Is paralysis from West Nile permanent?

About 10 percent of patients who develop a neuroinvasive infection from West Nile die, the CDC said. There are currently no treatments or vaccines for the West Nile virus. Once a person becomes paralyzed from the virus, it’s unlikely that he or she will get better in the long term, Adalja said.

Is West Nile always fatal?

Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

Can you recover from West Nile paralysis?

The prognosis of patients with West Nile virus-associated acute flaccid paralysis is unclear. Several case series have evaluated physical recovery over time, and the majority of patients do not recover fully [6–11].

What are the long-term effects of West Nile virus?

The most common long-term effects are depression, tremors, fatigue, memory problems, extremity weakness, word-finding difficulty and headaches. Since WNV arrived in North America in 1999, it has become the most common arboviral infection in the continent.

What are the long term symptoms of West Nile virus?

Can you recover from West Nile encephalitis?

Recovery from severe neurologic disease may take months and some of the effects may be permanent. About 10% of those with severe nervous system illness will die. There is no treatment for the illness other than supportive care. Hospitalization may be necessary for severe cases.

Does West Nile virus cause brain damage?

Experts who work on the mosquito-borne West Nile virus have long known that it can cause serious neurological symptoms, such as memory problems and tremors, when it invades the brain and spinal cord.

Is West Nile treatable?

There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus (WNV) disease; clinical management is supportive. Patients with severe meningeal symptoms often require pain control for headaches and antiemetic therapy and rehydration for associated nausea and vomiting.