Francisca Cisneros Farrar
Austin Peay State University, USA
Title: West Nile virus: An infectious viral agent to the central nervous system
Biography
Biography: Francisca Cisneros Farrar
Abstract
The West Nile virus (WNV) is a reportable arboviral illness that has emerged as an important global virus causing epidemics. The primary route of human infection is through an incidental bite of a mosquito carrying the infection. This article overviews the growing epidemic of WNV, clinical manifestations of the two primary groups of WNV, diagnostic tests, critical nursing management, risk factors and prevention of WNV. A person with WNV can be asymptomatic, develop flu-like symptoms, or develop a neuro-invasive infection that can cause meningitis, encephalitis and acute flaccid paralysis. A patient with WNV may have clinical features of both meningitis and encephalitis. The presence or absence of normal brain function is the important differentiation feature between them. Case reports will demonstrate the differences between the two clinical syndromes. Critical care nursing management is based on symptom management and supportive therapy for neuro-invasive disease complications. Nursing management for complications such as altered level of consciousness, mechanical ventilator respiratory support, high fever, cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, seizures and neuropsychiatric issues will be presented. Preventive measures for WNV are overviewed such as surveillance programs, personal protective measures; source reduction, mosquito programs and vaccine develop.