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JT -“Is it deadly?”
It could be!
West Nile Virus is part of a family of viruses known as Flaviviruses, along with other known viruses such as Hepatits C, St Louis Virus and Yellow fever.
West Nile virus is transmitted by several species of mosquitoes. Most humans infected will only have minor, if any, symptoms.
More serious cases can cause symptoms of headaches, fever, muscle pains (this is not a full list of the symptoms).
Very rarely does is have extremely serious complications such as meningitis (inflammation of the brain coverings) or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain itself).
Serious infection is more common in immunocompromised people, like people with HIV or people on some sort of immunosuppressive therapy for a chronic disease, like cancer or Crohn’s disease. People with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes are also at higher risk.
There is no vaccine against this infection. The best way to protect yourself is to wear insect repellant on days spent outdoors.
Antibiotics don’t work for viruses.
Rebyidd23 is correct. “Antibiotics” within the medical community typically mean antibacterials.
Antibacterials work against bacteria.
Antibiotics can also refer to antifungal or anti-mycobacterial (TB), but these are usually furthered specified as such.
Viruses are only preventable, through use of well tested and researched vaccines. Anything that your physician would give you (in the US and Canada) is a well researched and tested vaccine.
Some vaccines are preventative bacterial infections, such as diphtheria, pertussis, and hemophilus influenza.
The other viruses within the family of Flavivirus are considered ARBO-viruses, meaning they are ARthropod BOrne, transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects. Malaria, not a virus but a parasite, is also transmitted by insects. Not too many are common in the NY area, though.
There is antiviral therapy available, but their use is mainly for serious life-threatening viruses, like HIV or HepB. These drugs interfere with the virus’ mechanism of infection, whether it be through blocking reverse transcription (building DNA from RNA precursors) or inhibiting protease action.
Even our wonderful immune system cannot thwart off viral infection.
JT – ” Is there anything they can do, besides the wonderful immune system Hashem gave us? “
There is some literature with WNV and interferons, but it’s Not a cure.
Like the saying goes – “An once of prevention, is worth a pound of cure!”
Some white blood cells, specifically natural-killer cells, can target virally infected cells that have a major histocompatability complex displaying an epitope that the body deems to be non-self. An epitope is a small portion of protein that can be thought of as a cell’s ID card that shows what sort of stuff is being made inside that cell. Viruses inside the infected cell make proteins, which are cut up and displayed by the MHC-1 (which are found on all nucleated cells in the body). The NK cells recognized the viral epitope as foreign and secrete the cytokines necessary for that cell to undergo lysing.
Theoretically, if only a few cells were infected by the virus the immune system could clean it up by killing all those infected cells (This happens on a regular basis. Some cells are infected and killed by the immune system. Such a case would likely be considered subclinical, with no symptoms/evidence of being sick). However, someone that has fallen ill and has symptoms due to a virus likely has more that just a few cells infected, and would make it nearly impossible to eradicate all the virally infected cells.
Pretty much only through mosquitoes, but also possible, though unlikely due to screening, through organ transplant (including blood transfusions).
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