- Being infected with severe West Nile Virus can cause
long-term health problems, a study has found.
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- Experts from the New York Academy of Medicine followed
42 adults who had been admitted to hospital with the disease following
an outbreak in 1999.
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- They found two thirds of them still had mental or physical
health problems a year later.
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- The research, published in the journal Emerging Infectious
Diseases, found the elderly were worst affected.
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- It is the first time people infected with the mosquito-borne
disease have been followed for so long.
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- West Nile Virus is generally seen as causing mild symptoms
such as fever or skin rashes. But the severe form of the disease can cause
encephalitis and meningitis, and can even prove deadly.
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- The virus killed 264 in the US last year.
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- Last month, two cases were confirmed in Ireland. Both
patients had recently returned from the Algarve in Portugal.
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- Daily assistance
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- In the study, patients were interviewed by phone at six,
12 and 18 months after falling ill.
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- After 12 months, 63% of those questioned were still suffering
muscle weakness, frequent headaches, difficulty concentrating and other
persistent problems.
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- Most of those who recovered were under 65.
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- After 18 months, more than 40% of severely infected patients
continued to report difficulty walking, muscle weakness, fatigue and insomnia,
while 30% still suffered from memory loss, confusion, depression and irritability.
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- They continued to need assistance with activities of
daily living.
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- The research team said their findings, along with evidence
from other studies, showed the elderly were most susceptible to the severe
form of the virus, and reinforced the need for infection-prevention efforts
to focus on that group.
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- Denis Nash, who led the research, said: "Our study
showed that many people with severe West Nile virus infection suffered
lingering and debilitating symptoms well after they left the hospital,
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- "West Nile virus infection appears to cause longer-term
health problems than was previously appreciated."
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- Ian Jones, Professor of Virology at Reading University,
told BBC News Online: "The authors claim they have checked for virus
presence but show no data to prove the virus is still in these patients
at any significant level. Thus, recovery may be the issue rather than viral
persistence.
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- "Clinically it is a sound study so the concerns
that morbidity is more significant for elderly patients is an important
point for patient management, but I don't think it signals the virus as
a real persistent infection nor that the effects in the general public
at all ages are changing to any great degree. "
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- © BBC MMIV http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3559854.stm
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