MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — At least one confirmed case of West Nile Virus is in Mobile County right now and we’re hearing about at least two additional cases in a local hospital. Well, the county health officer, Dr. Kevin Michaels, is back with us on the red couch, this time to discuss when you should seek treatment for a mosquito bite.
Cherish Lombard:
When we hear about people hospitalized, Dr. Michaels, it kind of is like, oh, but you and I were discussing before we sat on the red couch, West Nile virus is more common than most of us think.
Dr. Kevin Michaels:
Well, it is present in the community, and a lot of people may get infected with West Nile virus and never really seek medical care. About one in five will have significant enough symptoms to seek medical care, and that’s typically when we’ll see the first case. So not everybody gets sick. So that’s where it’s probably common. You know, we see you know, we have one reported case right now. I wouldn’t doubt other cases will occur over the next couple of months.
Cherish Lombard:
This is something I wondered about. And also, maybe if you have kids, you’re thinking the same thing. So we send our kids out when it gets darker because it’s so hot right now. That’s also when the mosquitoes are going out. And if your kids are like mine, they have bites up and down their legs. Well, if you have a child who like one year old, two year old isn’t forming a sentence yet and they have West Nile. How do we as parents know?
Dr. Kevin Michaels:
Well, I mean, again, if the child is not playing appropriately, you know, or is not acting right, that would be you know, that to me, as a parent, you should have your child evaluated.
Cherish Lombard:
What are the symptoms of West Nile virus?
Dr. Kevin Michaels:
What most people may encounter is sort of that summer cold. They have a low-grade fever, maybe some muscle aches, maybe a little bit of headache, and then the symptoms may get severe, more severe.
Cherish Lombard:
How long after a bite do symptoms typically appear?
Dr. Kevin Michaels:
You know, a couple of days.
Cherish Lombard:
It could be deadly in some cases.
Dr. Kevin Michaels:
Yes. I mean, about one in ten will have more severe symptoms. And the more severe symptoms is when the infection kind of crosses over into the nervous system. And so they have severe headaches. They may have them, they may have neck pain. Those would be more you know, those would be symptoms that yeah, I would be concerned to take, you know, take my loved one to be evaluated further.
