DistantNews
Support us
West Nile virus: About 1% develop severe illness, Markotić warns
🇭🇷 Croatia /Health & Science

West Nile virus: About 1% develop severe illness, Markotić warns

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Alemka Markotić said Croatia has fewer detected West Nile virus cases than during the country’s most severe outbreak year, 2018.
  • About 1% of infected people develop severe illness, and mortality among those patients can reach 10% to 20%, she said.
  • Markotić urged people with severe fever, headache, neck stiffness, repeated vomiting, motor problems or seizures to seek immediate medical care.

Alemka Markotić says West Nile virus does not currently justify alarm in Croatia, but she is urging preventive measures as cases rise.

We currently have a smaller number of detected cases, and there are certainly more without symptoms. For now, there is no reason for alarm, but there is reason to take preventive measures that can protect us and prevent further spread.

— Alemka MarkotićMarkotić assessed the current situation in Croatia and urged preventive action.

Markotić, director of the Dr. Fran Mihaljević Clinic for Infectious Diseases, told Croatian Radiotelevision that the country has detected fewer cases than during the peak year of 2018. Four people died from the disease that year. She said some infections likely go undetected because they produce no symptoms, and it is still too early to determine how this year’s situation will develop.

About 1% of all infected people develop a severe form of the disease, and mortality among those patients can be 10% to 20%, depending on the patients we have.

— Alemka MarkotićShe described the risk of severe illness and death among the most seriously affected patients.

About 1% of infected people develop severe disease, Markotić said, with mortality among those patients ranging from 10% to 20%, depending on their condition. She added that people with chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems face greater risk.

Theoretically, it is possible. We are still at the beginning of the increase in cases, so we cannot say with certainty whether there will be an epidemic, or what its level and extent will be.

— Alemka MarkotićMarkotić said it was too early to know whether the current rise would become an epidemic.

Early symptoms can resemble a mild flu and include headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash. Markotić said immediate medical attention is needed if a person develops very high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, repeated vomiting, motor problems or seizures. There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine. The virus generally does not spread through direct contact with an infected person. Blood transfusion is a possible exception, although Croatia tests donated blood because the virus is present there.

If very high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, repeated vomiting, motor problems or seizures appear, medical help should be sought immediately and the person should go to hospital.

— Alemka MarkotićShe listed symptoms requiring urgent medical attention.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog