Experts warn: RISK THAT OF SERBIAN IN BIH transfer the West Nile virus

With nice weather has arrived and the invasion of mosquitoes, and with them the fear of many diseases that are transmitted.

These insects are known as one of the most dangerous infectious and especially dangerous diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, West Nile virus and chikungunya.Experts believe that global warming, tropical heat and migration of the population in our country by infectious diseases that were unknown in this region. However, of concern is the fact that we came back the old diseases that have been eradicated in this region of Europe, like for example malaria.

Disturbing data

What would the citizens in BiH could concern the recent data of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia, where he registered six confirmed cases of illness from West Nile virus, including one death. However, the Federal Bureau of epidemiological point out that so far in Bosnia and Herzegovina has not registered a single case of infection with the virus, but that the ability to transfer it still exists.

It is important to emphasize that West Nile virus is not transmitted from person to person, nor is it possible to transfer from an infected bird to human, but extremely bite of an infected mosquito. The virus can also be transmitted and transplantation of organs and blood transfusion, but this is extremely rare.Mosquitoes become infected through infected birds, which drink blood. This disease is not spread by contact with the diseased, with the exception of pregnant women at risk to bring the baby growing in their womb.

About this issue we spoke with microbiologists, academician Prof. dr. Mirsad Hukić. She said that for the West Nile virus characteristic that infection takes place without symptoms or they are so mild and non-specific that no one would have thought that it was some exotic disease. A severe form of the disease manifests as meningitis or encephalitis, which requires hospitalization, and is developed in one of the 150 ubodenih person.West Nile virus was isolated in 1937 from the blood of infected women who lived in the area of West Nile in Uganda. Behind this name lies a small, spherical enveloped virus lipid envelope. It belongs to the family Flaviviridae, which, in turn, part of a large group of arbo-virus. Arbo-viruses are, however, viruses that are transmitted, as their name indicates, arthropods, and it hemeatophagous arthropods, ie animals that feed on blood.

Infection occurs in August

What are the main symptoms of West Nile virus?West Nile virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Although in most cases the symptoms are mild and manifested in the form of headache, high fever, neck stiffness, tremors, spasms and weakness in the muscles, in severe cases can cause paralysis and coma, and even death.

Infection in humans most often occurs in August, and in horses in September. It was in August found a large percentage of infected mosquito species Culex pipiens. Apart from these species, the West Nile virus was isolated from other species of mosquitoes such as Culex salinarius, restuans Culex, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes vexans, Anopheles and Ochlerotatus triseriatus punctipennis.The estimated risk of the risk of transmission of West Nile virus by blood transfusion 2,000 times higher than the HIV virus and hepatitis C, and 200 times higher than for hepatitis B.

How is it spread?

The main carriers of mosquitoes of the genus Culex, but the virus is found in birds and other species of mosquitoes. In nature, the West Nile virus is maintained in enzootic cycle between birds and mosquitoes. So far, the virus was identified in 61 types of mosquito, the more than 300 species of birds and more than 30 kinds of other vertebrates (rodents, bats, cats, dogs, etc.). The bird is infected virus present in the blood (viral load) in the high levels, so they are precisely birds main "reservoir" of the virus.

It is believed that the most important migratory birds for distribution of viruses from endemic areas to other regions. The disease can be transmitted to horses and humans, but they are just a random virus hosts. This means that they will not spread the virus, because they have a short-term viral load to low levels of the virus, but not through the blood to infect mosquitoes.Virus downloads only female, because as with all species of mosquitoes, only the female feeds on the blood. The virus multiplies in the intestine and other organs of her, then transferred to the salivary glands to when taking a meal of blood transmitted to another host.

What are the age groups of people most exposed to the virus?

High-risk groups for this virus are people older than 50 years, males, those suffering from hypertension or diabetes mellitus, and immunocompromised persons (due to previously prebolovane some disease or due to any transplant - blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or an organ).For 80 percent of infected people is characterized by asymptomatic infection, while the other 20 percent occurs fever characteristic of the West Nile virus, with side effects such as headache, fever, exhaustion, muscle pain, swollen lymph glands and, in rare cases, rashes on the body.

Are some people immune to the bite of mosquitoes infected with West Nile virus, given that some of the mosquitoes "love" and some "do not like"?

West Nile fever is a febrile syndrome that causes flu-like symptoms. Mild acute symptoms occur lasting three to six days after the onset of symptoms. Only one percent of people infected with the virus is subject to neuroinvazivnim diseases (encephalitis - inflammation of the brain, meningitis - inflammation of the meninges, encefalomeningitis - a combination of the previous two and poliomyelitis - paralysis). With all of these symptoms may occur and gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, loss of appetite and dijareje.Općenito the low level of resistance of man to this virus. The mortality rate is 3-15 percent, which is not at all harmless.

How do we prevent this infection?

Enough work on discovering the cure for West Nile virus. Proved effective ribavirin, azauridine, azauridine triacetate, ciklopentenilcitozin, mycophenolic acid and pyrazofurin. For all of them are believed to have the ability to prevent the synthesis of nucleoprotein particles, and the synthesis of glycoproteins, due to which it is prevented from attaching to host cells. Genetic information about this virus are too meager, to enable a detailed description of the virus and its dynamic expansion. This would in the future be based on the detection of receptors on the cells of vertebrates that attaches the virus to their glycoproteins, and to detect tropism or its specificity for vertebra.

It is the preparation of a vaccine for humans and to develop faster and better tests to detect and diagnose the virus.

We can conclude that the most important awareness and vigilance of health professionals, and the control of blood donors prior to transfusion or any kind of transplant. It is also important to regularly control the population of horses and birds (local community must report dead birds). The identification of local species of mosquitoes can be very useful, because it is essential to monitor the presence of invasive species of mosquitoes.

• 19 Aug, 2016
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