A 47-year-old man from Thrissur (Kerala) was died due to the West Nile Virus (WNV).
- In 2019, a six-year-old boy in the Malappuram district had also died of the same infection.
- According to reports, the virus was first reported in the state of Alappuzha in 2006 and then in Ernakulam in 2011.
About West Nile Virus
- The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus.
- West Nile virus was first identified in 1937 in Uganda in eastern Africa.
- Birds are the natural hosts of West Nile virus.
- It is a flavivirus related to the viruses that cause St. Louis encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever.
- Culex species of mosquitoes act as the principal vectors for transmission.
- It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes between and among humans and animals, including birds, which are the reservoir host of the virus.
- WNV can also spread through blood transfusion, from an infected mother to her child, or through exposure to the virus in laboratories.
- It is not known to spread by contact with infected humans or animals. The virus can cause severe disease and death in horses.
GS TIMES UPSC PRELIMS & MAINS CURRENT AFFAIRS BASED BASICS DAILY ONLINE TEST CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ FOR STATE CIVIL SERVICES
