Symptoms:

Serious symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis.

Milder symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally swollen lymph glands or skin rash on chest, stomache, or back.

Transmission:

Infected mosquitoes
Transfusions
Transplants
Mother-to-child
Not through touching or casual contact!

(note: Transfusions, Transplants, and Mother-to-Child are very rare ways of transmission!)

Other Notes:

Always use an insect repellant when going outside in order to prevent all types of insect transmitted diseases!

Symptoms will typically appear 3-14 days after bitten by an infected mosquito

Contact your local health department before handling a dead bird. Use their instructions for handling and reporting the dead bird and do not handle the bird with your bare hands! Ever!

1/150 cases of WNV are encephalitis/meningitis and have the serious symptoms listed above.

20% of WNV cases are the fever type and will have the milder symptoms listed above.

80% of those who are infected with WNV will not have symptoms.

People over the age of 50 are at a higher risk for the encephalitis/meningitis type of WNV.

The risk of getting WNV through medical procedure is extremely low.

Being outside in an environment where mosquitoes are common increases your risk of WNV.

Contact the CDC for more information at (888) 246-2675 or http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

Other Random Facts:

Currently there are 284 bird species that have been reported to have WNV.