Mosquitoes are annoying enough when they are buzzing around you and leaving itchy bites. Unfortunately, they also happen to be carries of some of the more nasty diseases on the plant including West Nile Virus.

As you have probably noticed, West Nile Virus has been in the news quite a bit in the last year. It is one of the newer bugs that is really nasty. Believed to be a variant of such viruses as Yellow Fever, Encephalitis and Dengue Fever, this virus is equally vicious. It has the ability to bypass the blood-brain barrier, which means it can infect brain material. When it does this, it usually takes the form of encephalitis or swelling of the brain. It can also take the form of meningitis, which is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord. Obviously, none of these developments are good.

As with the diseases it is associated with above, our friend the mosquito transmits West Nile Virus. If ever there was a hardy bug, it is the mosquito. It can carry practically any deadly virus and pass it on to humans and animals without any risk to itself. In the case of West Nile Virus, mosquitoes become carriers by biting infected birds. They then transfer the virus to humans and other animals when they bite them. During the biting process, a mosquito will first inject saliva and anti-coagulants into the skin to help the blood removal process. This is how the virus is inserted into the bitten person or animal.

While media reports on West Nile Virus usually carry a tone just short of hysteria, the virus has proved to be less of a threat than first imagined. Roughly eighty percent of all people infected never show a single symptom. Of the remaining people, most simply develop a bad fever that eventually passes. The worst cases can be fatal, but they represent less than one percent of all people infected with West Nile. They also tend to be the elderly or people with poor health.

West Nile Virus is certainly nothing to be disregarded when going outside. If you are going into an area where mosquitoes are prevalent, you should definitely wear insect repellent. That being said, most people infected never know they have the virus because their body defeats it without excessive problems.