In a surprising finding, the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that the first case of Western Equine Encephalitis virus (WEE), the Mosquito-borne disease, in Argentina since decades is now confirmed in humans. This discovery draws attention to this sickness spread by mosquitoes which has returned again. The virus, which usually affects horses, saw a big increase. Over 1,009 cases were found between November and December in 2023 shown by a WHO health warning.
At first, they thought this problem only happened in horse groups. But then a human caught it late last month – the same time when no cases were reported since 1982 or 1983 except one in 1996. Also known as WEE, it’s not been detected from humans for a long time.
A guy from Santa Fe province got sick on November 19. He had headaches, became light-headed and lost his sense of direction. Also he started to feel very hot all over and his muscles hurt suddenly. On November 24, someone needed the doctor and their illness was very bad. They had to stay in a special care room for 12 days with help from about-assisted air, called ventilator support. The patient stayed in the hospital all of November and December. At last, they were let go on December 20.
The International Health Regulations National News Centre did not tell WHO about the case for some time. They didn’t let them know until the patient had already left hospital. Meanwhile, Argentina learned about the spread in November and started a disease warning. They then began watching closely to stop spreading more of what we call Horse Brain Infection virus.
This scary event happens after the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warning about how it may hurt human health because of finding Western Equine Encephalitis virus in horses around different places in Argentina and some spots in Uruguay.
The Western Equine Encephalitis virus, mostly passed onto people through mosquitoes biting them shows how vital it is for these creatures to spread sickness and germs. Viruses live mostly in birds and people who work near animals or outside are at highest risk of getting the virus from them.
The latest problem in Argentina reminds us how important it is to watch out for the Western Equine Encephalitis virus. This strong sickness spreads through Mosquitos. We need more alertness and careful checking to stop its spread. Looking into how the illness started showed that it was coming from a farm worker who recently visited that particular area where horses were tested positive for WEE. As world health groups watch closely, this is a strong warning about the dangers of new diseases spreading. We pay special attention to mosquito carriers for Western Equine Encephalitis virus infection.