Number Of West Nile Virus Cases Research Articles

A virus becomes a global concern: research activities on West-Nile virus

ABSTRACT Currently, West-Nile virus (WNV) is spreading worldwide to colder regions due to climate change. Human mortality and morbidity are prevalent and steadily increasing, associated with costs to public health systems. Therefore, the question of the impact of scientific engagement arises. What trends, barriers, and incentives for research related to global burdens are important in this context? To answer these questions, this study provides detailed insights into the publication patterns of WNV research and interprets them using several parameters, such as absolute and relative publication indices and socioeconomic and epidemiological characteristics. It is shown that national interests combined with regional outbreaks significantly influence publication intensity. Thus, a correlation between national publication volume and the number of WNV cases was observed. In contrast to most life science topics, the scientific interest in WNV significantly decreased after 2006. The USA, as the main actor in WNV research, is at the centre of international networking. Recently, European countries are also getting involved according to their new-emerging outbreaks. The results demonstrate national interest in research activities with a lack of globally focused approaches that are urgently needed to better understand and assess the distribution and characteristics of WNV.

Characterising West Nile virus epidemiology in Israel using a transmission suitability index.

BackgroundClimate is a major factor in the epidemiology of West Nile virus (WNV), a pathogen increasingly pervasive worldwide. Cases increased during 2018 in Israel, the United States and Europe.AimWe set to retrospectively understand the spatial and temporal determinants of WNV transmission in Israel, as a case study for the possible effects of climate on virus spread.MethodsWe employed a suitability index to WNV, parameterising it with prior knowledge pertaining to a bird reservoir and Culex species, using local time series of temperature and humidity as inputs. The predicted suitability index was compared with confirmed WNV cases in Israel (2016–2018).ResultsThe suitability index was highly associated with WNV cases in Israel, with correlation coefficients of 0.91 (p value = 4 × 10− 5), 0.68 (p = 0.016) and 0.9 (p = 2 × 10− 4) in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The fluctuations in the number of WNV cases between the years were explained by higher area under the index curve. A new WNV seasonal mode was identified in the south-east of Israel, along the Great Rift Valley, characterised by two yearly peaks (spring and autumn), distinct from the already known single summer peak in the rest of Israel.ConclusionsBy producing a detailed geotemporal estimate of transmission potential and its determinants in Israel, our study promotes a better understanding of WNV epidemiology and has the potential to inform future public health responses. The proposed approach further provides opportunities for retrospective and prospective mechanistic modelling of WNV epidemiology and its associated climatic drivers.

Emergence of human West Nile Virus infection among pediatric population in Madhya Pradesh, India

Human infections caused by West Nile virus (WNV) mostly remain subclinical and self-limited. However, nearly 20% infected people suffer from febrile illness and very few of them (<1%) may get neuroinvasive illness. Mortality has been reported among children. India somehow has reported very less number of WNV cases in the past. We collected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 75 pediatric age group patients clinically suffering from acute encephalitis syndrome. Three of these samples were positive by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction using pan flavivirus primers. On sequencing of the 212 bp long-amplified fragment, it was found to be WNV belonging to lineage 1. This is probably the first report of WNV causing encephalitis from this central part of India.

Key Factors Influencing the Incidence of West Nile Virus in Burleigh County, North Dakota.

The city of Bismarck, North Dakota has one of the highest numbers of West Nile Virus (WNV) cases per population in the U.S. Although the city conducts extensive mosquito surveillance, the mosquito abundance alone may not fully explain the occurrence of WNV. Here, we developed models to predict mosquito abundance and the number of WNV cases, independently, by statistically analyzing the most important climate and virus transmission factors. An analysis with the mosquito model indicated that the mosquito numbers increase during a warm and humid summer or after a severely cold winter. In addition, river flooding decreased the mosquito numbers. The number of WNV cases was best predicted by including the virus transmission rate, the mosquito numbers, and the mosquito feeding pattern. This virus transmission rate is a function of temperature and increases significantly above 20 °C. The correlation coefficients (r) were 0.910 with the mosquito-population model and 0.620 with the disease case model. Our findings confirmed the conclusions of other work on the importance of climatic variables in controlling the mosquito numbers and contributed new insights into disease dynamics, especially in relation to extreme flooding. It also suggested a new prevention strategy of initiating insecticides not only based on mosquito numbers but also 10-day forecasts of unusually hot weather.

Clinical features of West Nile virus epidemic in Dallas, Texas, 2012

In 2012, Texas has reported the highest number of West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the United States to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this report, we conducted a retrospective chart review of 57 patients with WNV disease and analyzed the clinical features of these patients. Our results revealed that 25 (44%) patients were diagnosed with West Nile fever and 32 (56%) with West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). The median age for patients with WNND was 54.5 years, and those with encephalitis were more likely to be >60 years old. Pre-existing conditions such as hypertension and diabetes were more frequent in patients with WNND. Testing both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for antibodies diagnosed more cases of WNND than just testing serum or CSF alone. The increasing number of WNV cases during this epidemic highlights the need to increase efforts to control mosquito populations and educate the general public.

Characterizing the acceptability of a vaccine for West Nile virus by public health practitioners

This study examines health care personnel's knowledge of West Nile virus (WNv) and attitudes towards a proposed chimeric yellow fever/WNv vaccine within the province of Saskatchewan. Telephone and in-person interviews with medical health officers and public health nurses provided information with which to assess the acceptability of implementing vaccination as a component for prevention of WNv within the province with the highest number of WNv cases to date in western Canada. The majority of health care professionals felt confident in the potential efficacy of vaccination for prevention of WNv but suggested that targeted vaccination programs could be most effective.