Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
[h=1]Significant rise in West Nile virus cases[/h]
The number of cases of people diagnosed with West Nile fever ? caused by mosquitoes ? has risen significantly in August, the Health Ministry said on Monday. So far since January, there were 42 cases, with 38 of them diagnosed since the beginning of August. Most of the cases were in Rehovot and Ra?anana.
It is usually a mild, flu-like disease that passes without treatment. Symptoms are fever, headaches, weakness, pain of the joints or muscles and an infection of the conjunctiva under the eyelids. In 10 percent of the cases, the disease is severe, causing neurological problems including acute meningitis.
No one has died of it this year.
On Monday, Environmental Protection Ministry officials said inspectors from its pesticides control department have identified over the past two weeks mosquitoes infected with West Nile viruses in several new places. The latest finds occurred at the fish ponds in the northern Kibbtuz Sde Eliyahu, in Sderot, in the sewage canal at the northern entrance to the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiyye and at the fish ponds in the northern moshav of Talmei Elazar, the Environment Ministry said.
The number of cases of people diagnosed with West Nile fever ? caused by mosquitoes ? has risen significantly in August, the Health Ministry said on Monday. So far since January, there were 42 cases, with 38 of them diagnosed since the beginning of August. Most of the cases were in Rehovot and Ra?anana.
It is usually a mild, flu-like disease that passes without treatment. Symptoms are fever, headaches, weakness, pain of the joints or muscles and an infection of the conjunctiva under the eyelids. In 10 percent of the cases, the disease is severe, causing neurological problems including acute meningitis.
No one has died of it this year.
On Monday, Environmental Protection Ministry officials said inspectors from its pesticides control department have identified over the past two weeks mosquitoes infected with West Nile viruses in several new places. The latest finds occurred at the fish ponds in the northern Kibbtuz Sde Eliyahu, in Sderot, in the sewage canal at the northern entrance to the northern city of Baqa al-Gharbiyye and at the fish ponds in the northern moshav of Talmei Elazar, the Environment Ministry said.