A teenager who returned from Egypt was admitted to a hospital in Krakow with symptoms of a tropical disease. He was diagnosed with West Nile virus. Earlier, Chief Sanitary Inspector Pawel Grzesewski reported “a very high probability of the first domestic case of West Nile fever” in adults. But as he adds, these two cases should not be combined.
A few weeks ago to a specialist hospital. Stefan Jeromski was diagnosed with West Nile fever as a teenager in Krakow immediately after returning from Egypt.
– A boy, a teenager from Egypt, has encephalitis and we diagnosed him with West Nile virus. The patient came to our department about two weeks ago. First, after imaging tests and cerebrospinal fluid examination, we diagnosed him with encephalitis, we ruled out all causes considered in Poland (in Poland – editor's note). Due to the fact that the patient was previously in Egypt, we sent tests for West Nile fever and we recently received a positive result – said in an interview with tvn24.pl Lidia Stopira, Medicine, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics at the Special Hospital. Stefan Jeromski in Krakow.
“Healthy, comfortable and relaxing youth”
In 80 percent of patients, West Nile virus infection is asymptomatic. Symptoms develop in only about 20 percent of infected patients, including about one in 150 infected people who develop the disease as a neuroinfection involving the central nervous system.
– What is unique in this situation is that he is a healthy teenager, strong and rested after Egypt, so he is not a candidate to have immunity and qualify for a serious illness, because the fever West Nile is mostly mild, like the flu. – such as infection. Only patients with weaker immunity, mostly elderly people, are more at risk of severe encephalitis – he explains.
West Nile virus Cynthia Goldsmith/Wikimedia CC BY 2.0
When asked how to prevent West Nile virus, Lydia Stopira says that only using repellents and long-sleeved clothes that protect against mosquitoes will help. – In general, this is a tropical disease and is endemic in regions such as North Africa or Western Asia, – he informs.
There is no vaccine against West Nile fever. The main method of prevention of tropical diseases is to reduce exposure to mosquito bites.
Probability of original cases of West Nile fever
It was previously reported that local infection is suspected in adults. In an interview with tvn24.pl on Wednesday, October 23, Chief Sanitary Inspector Dr. Pawel Grzesewski said that in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, tests are underway for a patient with a high probability of contracting West Nile fever.
– The probability of the first domestic case of West Nile fever in Poland is very high. Native, that is, without connection with tropical countries. However, this should not be a sensitive situation, as we have already reported diseases among birds in the summer. The tested person has not been abroad recently, which means that the infection may have been caused by the bite of ordinary Polish mosquitoes, said the chief sanitary doctor.
Dr. Grzesiowski said that the patient came to the doctor with stroke-like symptoms. He is an adult and is hospitalized in one of the hospitals in Little Poland.
On Saturday, October 26, Grzesiowski informed us that there was no new information about the adult patient with congenital infection. – This person is still in the hospital. We have no new confirmatory studies. In general, this information only meant that if it is confirmed that we are dealing with the first case of infection (motherhood – editor's note), it will also trigger certain procedures in the country, – explains the chief sanitary doctor.
According to the chief sanitary doctor, both conditions – adolescent and adult – should not be combined.
-These imported cases are not new, we have had them before, so we should not be alarmed because this disease does not spread between people. Even if someone comes to Poland with malaria, it is not contagious. There is no risk of an epidemic in Poland, he emphasizes.
A potentially serious problem
In the case of symptomatic infection, when the nervous system is not affected, the following symptoms occur: fever, fatigue, headache, muscle weakness and difficulty concentrating. The mortality rate in this form of infection is about 10 percent.
Main photo source: TVN24
