What is West Nile Virus?
Q: What is West Nile Virus?
A: West Nile Virus (WNV) is a virus that belongs to the genus Flavivirus and causes an infectious disease called "West Nile virus disease" or just "West Nile virus."
Q: How does WNV spread?
A: WNV is mainly spread by mosquitoes, who get the virus from birds. If a mosquito bites a bird that has WNV, and then bites a human, that person can get West Nile Virus.
Q: Where was WNV first discovered?
A: West Nile virus was first discovered in 1937 in the West Nile area of Uganda, in East Africa.
Q: When did cases of WNV start to increase?
A: Before the 1990s there were very few cases of WNV, but then there was an outbreak in Algeria in 1994 and another in Romania in 1996. By 2004, the virus had spread to North America, the Caribbean islands, and Latin America.
Q: Where has WNV spread to since its discovery?
A: Since its discovery, WNV has continued to spread through Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada and the United States.
Q: What type of animals can be infected with WNV?
A: In addition to humans and birds being able to contract it from mosquitoes carrying it from other birds; horses , dogs , bats , cats , reptiles , and amphibians can also be infected with West Nile Virus .
Q: What year saw one of the worst epidemics yet for West Nile Virus ?
A: 2012 saw one of the worst epidemics yet for West Nile Virus ; 286 people died .
