Context
A man who was undergoing treatment for West Nile fever in Kerala’s Thrissur succumbed to it recently.
About the West Nile Virus
- It is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family
- It is a single-stranded RNA virus.
- It was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937.
- It is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia
Older people, children and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.
Transmission:
It spreads from birds to humans with the bite of an infected Culex mosquito
Education and World Affair 