As many as 28 cases were confirmed with West Nile virus infection from the beginning of the surveillance period for this condition, from June 6 until August 30, Romania’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP) informed on Thursday.
According to INSP, four deaths were registered as a result of West Nile virus infection – in the counties of Satu Mare, Ilfov and Prahova and one more „probably” in Dolj.
Depending on the territorial unit of exposure, the cases of West Nile virus infection had the following distribution: Bucharest (7), Bacau (1), Bihor (1), Ilfov (3), Dolj (2), Ialomita (1), Iasi (2), Prahova (1), Sibiu (1), Satu Mare (1), Galati (3), Olt (2), Tulcea (2) and Vaslui (1).
Human infection is most often the result of bites from infected mosquitoes. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds, which circulate the virus in their blood for a few days. The virus eventually gets into the mosquito’s salivary glands. During later blood meals (when mosquitoes bite), the virus may be injected into humans and animals, where it can multiply and possibly cause illness.
Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands.
