Airman recalls West Nile Virus infection

  • Published
  • By Debbie Kubik
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  Officials here are wasting no time getting the word out about this year’s West Nile Virus threat.

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had 9,389 cases of the virus reported in 2003.

One of those cases was 1st Lt. Chip Hollinger, 21st Mission Support Group executive officer at nearby Peterson Air Force Base.

The lieutenant had just returned home from a three-month deployment to Baghdad, Iraq. He said he “felt fine” while there, and his physical screening before returning was normal.

Lieutenant Hollinger was doing yard work one night at his home on Peterson AFB, and noticed being bit by mosquitoes.

“I wasn’t taking any precautions [to avoid the mosquitoes],” he said. “[Then] I woke up one Friday and felt kind of sick.”

By 2 p.m. that day, Lieutenant Hollinger drove to the emergency room, complaining of flulike symptoms. With a severe headache, low-grade fever, no appetite and body aches, he was given intravenous fluids. He was also given a West Nile Virus test, but it would take two weeks for the results. The otherwise healthy 34-year-old remained in the ER a few hours until his headache subsided, then he went home.

“I felt some relief from the headache, but I slept for 14 hours straight,” the lieutenant said. After awakening, though, his symptoms were worse, and he returned to the ER.

At that time, an ER doctor performed a spinal tap, hoping to rule out meningitis. For precaution, Lieutenant Hollinger was placed in isolation in case he had spinal meningitis, which not only is highly contagious but often mistaken for the West Nile Virus.

After staying four days, the lieutenant was released from the hospital, and once again said he “felt fine.” The results from the meningitis test were negative.

He returned to work and hoped to return to a normal routine. Unfortunately, the lieutenant began to feel sick again. Feeling very lethargic, he went back to the hospital.

After he received several medications for his headache and continuing flulike symptoms, he went home and slept. He stayed home for the rest of the week.

“I woke up on a Sunday and felt 100-percent better,” said the lieutenant. “I went for a run. I had an appetite. I felt fine.”

The symptoms that seemed to appear overnight disappeared. Then, local county health department officials contacted lieutenant Hollinger and told him he tested positive for virus. Currently, he has no side effects.

Eighty percent of those who are infected with mosquito-borne viruses do not become ill and have no symptoms. For people who do become ill, the time between the mosquito bite and the onset of symptoms ranges from three to 14 days, officials said.

“(The virus) is such a complex interaction of variables in the environment, and weather plays a big part,” said John Pape, epidemiologist in charge of West Nile Virus surveillance at the Colorado Public Health and Environment Department. “One thing we know is that we will see the virus this year. Everyone who saw it last year will see it again. Unfortunately, we can’t predict the degree it will appear.”

The virus, first identified in 1937 in the West Nile region of Uganda, spread to the United States in 1999.

Infected mosquitoes transmit the virus to birds and mammals, including humans. The virus is transmitted only by the bite of an infected mosquito, medical officials said.

The primary mosquito carrier of this virus, Culex tarsalis, is known as a container breeder and requires very little standing water to breed.

Two clinically different types of disease occur in humans. Symptoms of the viral fever syndrome include fever, headache and malaise -- a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, at the beginning of an illness. These symptoms persist about two to seven days and affect about one in five infected people.

In rare cases, the virus can cause a more serious brain infection such as aseptic meningitis or encephalitis, affecting about one in 150 infected people. These infections begin with a sudden onset of high fever and a headache, and then may progress to a stiff neck, disorientation, tremors and coma. Severe infections can result in permanent brain damage or death. Most deaths occur people older than 50.

“Unfortunately, there is still no specific treatment. … Prevention is the key,” said Lt. Col. Steven Niehoff, 10th Medical Group director of public health here.

“We need to be concerned enough to take precautions but not so much that we’re afraid to go outside,” Mr. Pape said. “You can take a variety of approaches and not let it interfere with normal activities. Pick out preventive things to do and do them.”

There are several ways to protect against mosquito bites, officials said, including:

-- Limit outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when most mosquitoes are feeding. This is especially important for adults older than 50 and for young children.

-- Wear protective clothing such as lightweight long pants and a long-sleeved shirt when going outside. Mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing.

-- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin areas when outside. Repellents containing DEET are effective but should be applied sparingly. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Products containing 10 percent or less DEET are available for children 2 or older. Consult a pediatrician for advice before using any repellent on children.

-- Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or holes in them.

-- Drain all standing water on private property, no matter how small an amount. Items that could collect water are old tires, buckets, empty cans, food and beverage containers, gutters, birdbaths or flowerpots.