Local officials said his symptoms, including fever and light-headedness, began five to 15 days after he was bitten by a mosquito. He expects this movement and its impact on disease to continue. In an effort to halt, or at least reduce, the spread of the virus, local and state health officials applied larvicides to mosquito breeding grounds. Unfortunately, no one can predict whether the virus will be confined to New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland, areas where the virus has been found in mosquitoes, birds and horses. In susceptible groups, the virus can be deadly.
Symptoms can vary greatly.
Staying Safe has the tips you need to reduce your risk of exposure. The most dire consequence is encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can be fatal. Seven people died in New York of encephalitis caused by the West Nile virus, and 62 people became sick. A survey conducted by the New York City Department of Health estimates that between 533 and 1,903 people were infected with West Nile virus in the section of Queens that was hardest hit. There is no vaccine against West Nile virus, nor is there a cure for it or for encephalitis.