GC: n
S: NICD – https://www.nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-index/west-nile-fever/ (last access: 16 August 2024); GOV.UK – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/west-nile-fever (last access: 16 August 2024).
N: 1. – West (adj): As an adjective from late 14c.; as a noun from late 12c. West used in geopolitical sense from World War I (Britain, France, Italy, as opposed to Germany and Austria-Hungary); as contrast to Communist Russia (later to the Soviet bloc) it is first recorded in 1918. West Coast of the U.S. is from 1850; West End of London is from 1776; West Side of Manhattan is from, 1858. The U.S. West “western states and territories” originally (1790s) meant those just west of the Alleghenies; the sense gradually extended as the country grew. To go west “die” was “common during the Great War” [OED, 2nd ed.], perhaps from Celtic imagery or from the notion of the setting sun. In U.S. use, in a literal sense “emigrate to the western states or territories,” from 1830.
– Nile (geographical name): river in Africa, one of the world’s oldest surviving place names, from a Semitic root nahal “river.” Unnamed in Old Testament, it is always merely “the river” (Hebrew yeor).
– fever (n): earlier also feaver, late Old English fefor, fefer “fever, temperature of the body higher than normal,” from Latin febris “fever,” related to fovere “to warm, heat,” which is probably from PIE root *dhegh- “burn” (source also of Gothic dags, Old English dæg “day,” originally “the heat;” Greek tephra “ashes;” Lithuanian dāgas “heat,” Old Prussian dagis “summer;” Middle Irish daig “fire”); but some suggest a reduplication of a root represented by Sanskrit *bhur- “to be restless.”
The Latin word was adopted into most of the Germanic languages (German Fieber, Swedish feber, Danish feber), but not Dutch. English spelling was influenced by Old French fievre.
An alternative word for “fever” was Old English hrið, hriðing (which is cognate with Old High German hritto, Irish crith, Welsh cryd, Lithuanian skriečiù, skriesti); Latin febris also was glossed by bryneadl. The extended sense of “intense nervous excitement” is from 1580s. Also as a verb in Old English, feferian.
2. West Nile fever is a disease caused by West Nile Virus (WNV), which is a flavivirus related to the viruses that cause St. Louis encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and yellow fever. It causes disease in humans, horses, and several species of birds. Most infected individuals show few signs of illness, but some develop severe neurological illness which can be fatal. West Nile Virus has an extremely broad host range. It replicates in birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, mosquitoes and ticks. West Nile Fever is a disease listed in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported by Members according to the WOAH Code.
3. What is West Nile fever in children?
West Nile fever is an illness caused by a virus. The virus is spread by mosquito bites. It often causes mild, flu-like symptoms. In rare cases, it can cause life-threatening illness of the brain and lining covering the brain and spinal cord.
4. What causes West Nile fever in a child?
The illness is caused by West Nile virus. The West Nile virus belongs to a group of viruses known as flaviviruses. These viruses are commonly found in Africa, West Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. Flaviviruses are spread by insects, most often mosquitoes. Other examples of flaviviruses include yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, dengue virus, and St. Louis encephalitis virus. West Nile virus is closely related to the St. Louis encephalitis virus.
The West Nile virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses, and some other mammals. West Nile virus was first identified in 1937 in Uganda in eastern Africa. In 1999, the virus occurred in the Western hemisphere for the first time. The first cases were reported in New York City. Since then, West Nile virus has been considered an emerging infectious disease in the U.S. It has spread down the East Coast and to many Southern and Midwestern states. It has been reported in all lower 48 states in the U.S.
West Nile virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected female mosquito. The mosquitoes get the virus by biting infected birds. Crows and jays are the most common birds with the virus. But at least 110 other bird species also have been shown to have the virus.
S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=West+Nile+fever (last access: 16 August 2024); MW – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Nile (last access: 16 August 2024). 2. WOAH – https://www.woah.org/en/disease/west-nile-fever/ (last access: 16 August 2024). 3 & 4. URMC – https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=p08201 (last access: 16 August 2024).
VO: West-Nile fever
S: GDT – https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8869727/fievre-du-nil-occidental (last access: 16 August 2024)
SYN:
S:
CR: culicine mosquito, fever, mosquito, West Nile encephalitis, West Nile fever, West Nile virus.
