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[West Nile virus, an emerging arbovirus]
Rémi N Charrel1, Xavier de Lamballerie
1Unité des virus émergents, Faculté de médecine, Marseille. rnc.virophdm@gulliver.fr
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|December 23, 2004
Summary
West Nile virus, an arthropod-borne Flavivirus, spread rapidly across North America after its 1999 introduction. Diagnosis relies on serology and rapid molecular techniques.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Arthropod-borne diseases
Context:
- West Nile virus (WNV), a Flavivirus, is transmitted by Culex mosquitoes.
- First isolated in Africa in 1937, WNV cycles between birds and mosquitoes, with humans as dead-ends.
- Recent epidemics in Europe and its introduction to the US in 1999 highlight its global emergence.
Purpose:
- To detail the progressive dissemination of West Nile virus in North America.
- To describe the diagnostic and surveillance strategies for West Nile virus.
- To report on the WNV situation in France following a 2000 equine outbreak.
Summary:
- WNV was introduced to the US in 1999 and spread across North America by 2002, causing thousands of human cases.
- In 2002, over 4,000 human cases and nearly 300 deaths were recorded in the US.
- While most infections are asymptomatic, a small percentage develop severe neurological disease.
Impact:
- The study underscores the rapid spread and public health impact of WNV in a naive continent.
- It emphasizes the importance of robust surveillance and rapid diagnostic tools for emerging infectious diseases.
- The findings inform public health responses to WNV and similar vector-borne illnesses.