A study appearing in the July 23 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) states that infection with West Nile virus (WNV) can cause short- and long-term neurologic effects, including headaches, memory loss, movement disorders and polio-like paralysis in a small percentage of patients.
The article also stated that most human infections with WNV are subclinical or manifest as a mild feverish illness, but a small proportion of patients (less than one percent) develop acute neurologic illness. The 2002 outbreak of WNV in the United States presented an opportunity to assess specific neurologic manifestations, laboratory and neurodiagnostic findings, and long-term outcomes associated with WNV infection. Click here to see JAMA article for more information. www.amcnoma.org.