The following symptoms and complaints may indicate West Nile fever:
Main symptoms
- Fever, abrupt onset (biphasic course/twophasic).
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Emesis (vomiting)
- Exanthema (rash), pale and maculopapular (blotchy and with papules, ie with vesicles), from the trunk to the head and limbs.
- Headache and pain in the limbs
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement) (sometimes).
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- Back pain (deep seated)
- Neuroinvasive symptoms (approximately 1% of sufferers):
- Meningitis (meningitis).
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
- Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
- Polyradiculitis (inflammation of multiple nerve roots).
- Ataxia (gait disorder)
- Epileptic seizures (convulsive seizures)
- Paresis (paralysis)
Other notes
- Only 20% of infected individuals develop “flaviviral” symptomatology (some with biphasic courses): fever, headache, limb pain, muscle pain, exanthema (rash: see above), conjunctivitis and fatigue.
