Amidst the swarming buzz of global warming and the earth recording its highest temperatures since ancient times, new and persistent bacteria and diseases have begun to surface and infest mankind with diagnoses that one finds difficult to spell. And the symptoms? There is hardly any originality in symptoms of even deadly diseases these days, with mild ones displaying symptoms such as headaches, nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. At the same time, extreme cases almost always lead to permanent paralysis or death. Mosquito-borne diseases have become a fatal affair these days.
People reported Susan Corie of Roseville, a resident of California, who was left unable to walk after counteracting the West Nile Virus, borne from a mosquito bite. CBS News Sacramento reported that Corie has been hospitalized for over a month and is currently undergoing physical therapy after not being able to walk because of the effects of the disease.
In her statement to CBS News Sacramento, People reports Corie’s words saying that the symptoms were mild initially and began deepening later with spasms in her legs and incessant fever. September 11, I witnessed her falling to the ground on her way to the bathroom. People reported that she was rushed to the hospital by her husband and was then diagnosed with a mosquito-borne disease called the West Nile Virus.
In her words to the news outlet, Corie said, “I’ve been in the hospital for four and a half weeks because I was bit by a mosquito,” continuing further, “I didn’t really know much about it or how it affected people.”
A wet, humid winter in the California region served as the breeding ground for the disease-infested mosquitoes, according to CBS News, reports People. According to the California Department of Public Health, as of Friday, there are 205 reported cases in California, six of which were fatal. People report that Sacramento County has the second-highest number of cases, with 19, followed by Los Angeles County with 18. Sacramento Department of Health Services accounts that about 80% of people who are infected with the West Nile Virus do not develop symptoms, and those who do counter symptoms recover within a week’s time.
However, People informs ‘However, about one in 150 people will develop severe symptoms, which can include a high fever, stiff neck, muscle weakness, coma, tremors, convulsions, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis. Some of the neurological effects can be permanent, and the virus can even lead to death in some patients.’ What’s more? There is no cure for the West Nile Virus yet, and the negligible number of people who counter it need to get intravenous fluids and help with breathing.
Delving deeper into this specific virus, according to People, ‘There have been 1,645 people diagnosed with the disease in 44 states so far this year, according to the CDC. It marks an uptick over 2022 when a total of 1,126 cases were reported in the U.S.’
In August, Daniel Markowski, technical adviser for the American Mosquito Control Association, told CNN via People, “The number of mosquitoes that have hatched off after the spring snowmelt is pretty tremendous in many of the states, whether it be Colorado or Utah or California,” he elucidated. “You’re at the right temperature, the right mosquito population, and the right time of year for localized outbreaks to occur.”
For the virus to spread, the mosquito has to bite an infected bird, followed by a human, justifying its rarity. People report the CDC’s advice against this deadly virus by using insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, lemon eucalyptus oil, or para-menthane-diol, noting that the last two ingredients are not suitable for children below 3.
With more and more deadly vaccine-less diseases surfacing, awareness campaigns and diet that strengthens immunity must be preached. It is a long battle ahead for humanity, and we truly do not know the consequences of this ever-growing catastrophe.