ATLANTA — The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an increase in the number of West Nile virus cases in Georgia.
From Aug. 22 to Tuesday, cases tripled in the state, and most of them are in the metro Atlanta area.
In the State of Georgia, the cases went from two to six, with four of those cases in metro Atlanta counties.
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The news comes just days after it was reported former head of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Anthony Fauci, had contracted the virus.
While the number isn’t high, and nationally there are still fewer than 300 cases total, 33 states have reported cases of West Nile virus this year.
The CDC said 195 of those cases were the neuro-invasive disease version, meaning it is the severe form of the virus that can cause hospitalization or death.
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The neuro-invasive West Nile virus is also called West Nile encephalitis and causes brain inflammation.
The CDC says most people who get infected with West Nile virus, close to 80%, don’t develop symptoms. However, of those who are infected, roughly 20% present the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Headache
- Body aches
- Joint pain
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Rashes
- Fatigue and weakness
The CDC said that about one of every 150 people infected develop severe illness including encephalitis, inflammation of the brain, or meningitis, inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
For the people who develop serious illnesses from the virus, symptoms include:
- High fever
- Headache
- Neck stiffness
- Stupor
- Disorientation
- Coma
- Tremors
- Convulsions
- Muscle weakness
- Vision loss
- Numbness and paralysis
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