Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Friday that it has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of West Nile fever in the city of Volgodonsk in the southern Rostov region, and issued a recommendation to watch out for mosquito bites
ROSTOV-ON-DON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2023) ON-DON, Russia, Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Friday that it has recorded two laboratory-confirmed cases of West Nile fever in the city of Volgodonsk in the southern Rostov region, and issued a recommendation to watch out for mosquito bites.
"Two laboratory-confirmed cases of West Nile fever (WNF) have been registered in the city of Volgodonsk in the Rostov region for the recent period of 2023," the watchdog said in a statement.
The beginning of the epidemic was registered in the last ten days of June 2023, the statement read.
The main carriers of West Nile fever are mosquitoes, which are particularly widespread in humid ecosystems, the institution said, adding that birds, which are "reservoirs of the WNF virus," also play a significant role in the spread of the disease.
In this regard, Rospotrebnadzor recommended trying to prevent mosquito bites by using mosquito repellents, putting nets on apartment and house windows, and not storing water in open containers.
"If you have been outdoors near water or at home, where you were bitten by a mosquito, and from two to eight days you had specific symptoms (38-40 degrees Celsius (100.4-104 Fahrenheit) fever, chills, low appetite, muscle pain, especially in the calves, rash, in rare cases � signs of meningoencephalitis), please seek medical help," the statement read.
The West Nile fever is an acute viral disease with an incubation period ranging from several days to three weeks. The disease can result in damage to the central nervous system in the form of meningitis or meningoencephalitis, as well as present in a flu-like form with headaches, fever and sore throat. There is no vaccine available to prevent the West Nile fever. The sick person does not pose a threat to other people.
The disease mainly spreads in tropical and subtropical regions, but has been increasingly recorded in non-tropical countries, such as Spain and Greece. The virus primarily affects birds, but also humans and many mammals that become infected after being bitten by mosquitoes.
