What are the symptoms of Nile fever? Better to know them, because Italy is the country most at risk for this disease caused by mosquito bites. Relaunching the risk is the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, one of the most important health authorities on the Old Continent. Looking at the numbers we are by far the first. In 2022, 1,133 human cases and 92 deaths of Nile virus infection were reported in the EU. In Italy there were 723 cases. More than six out of ten cases registered in the European Union are Italian. The virus is not transmitted from person to person, but through mosquito biteespecially the species Culex.
Only a few days ago the Italian Society of Hygiene had relaunched the alarm of the risk of diseases caused by mosquito bites come malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and indeed Nile fever.
The incubation and symptoms of Nile fever
The incubation period varies between 2 and 14 days, but it can also be 21 days in those with weak immune defenses. It is usually an asymptomatic disease. When symptoms occur, they are:
fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes.
Their intensity is variable. More severe in the elderly, while in young people the fever is often accompanied by redness of the eyes, headache and muscle pain.
Nile fever symptoms: which are the most difficult to deal with?
In less than 1% of infected people the symptoms may worsen and may also appear:
disorientation, tremors, visual disturbances, drowsiness, convulsions, paralysis and coma.
Some neurological effects may be permanent: in about 1 in 1000 cases the virus can cause fatal encephalitis.
Prevention of West Nile fever
There is no vaccine for West Nile fever. The only way to reduce the risk of contagion is to expose yourself as little as possible to mosquito bites. Here you will find all the science-proof ways to ward off mosquitoes
The fan can be effective
A fan can help keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes don’t like the wind, which does not allow them to fly. Furthermore, the fan disperses the odors of human skin, which are the ones that attract insects.
Citronella useless?
Natural repellents like lemongrass are often ineffective. Indeed, the mosquitoes have learned to associate these odors with the presence of man.