Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Symptoms of the virus

Mosquitoes are sorted at the Dallas County mosquito lab. (Associated Press)

People infected with West Nile virus may develop West Nile fever, with symptoms such as headache, fatigue, body aches, a skin rash on the trunk of the body, and swollen lymph glands. The illness can last a few days to several weeks, according to the CDC.

They may also develop the more serious West Nile encephalitis, meningitis or poliomyelitis, with some of the same symptoms but also neck stiffness, disorientation, tremors, convulsions and muscle weakness that can lead to neurological damage, coma, paralysis and death. The elderly and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of becoming seriously ill once infected.

McClatchy-Tribune