Susan Sheldon's husband thrashed wildly about the kitchen trying to kill the one mosquito that, he believed, bit him four times. "You have to keep the door closed," he growled as he finally managed to swat the insect in mid-air. Sheldon, who was worried about the West Nile virus, argued that her husband should have put up the screens. The truth is that it's very unlikely that this particular mosquito was infected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even in areas where mosquitoes do carry West Nile virus, only about one in 500 are carriers. If Sheldon's husband were actually infected, he probably would not even know it. Most people who do contract the disease experience very mild symptoms―or none at all. Over the five- to 15-day incubation period, Sheldon would watch for high fever, disorientation, muscle weakness, headache or nausea. Only about one infected person in 150 becomes seriously ill with a central nervous system infection such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain). If a serious West Nile-related infection does occur, it is fatal in only eight percent of cases, mostly among seniors.
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