SAN ANTONIO- Medical experts say the majority of people who contract the West Nile Virus won't experience any symptoms and only one percent of people will get seriously ill.
Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious diseases physician with UT Medicine San Antonio, says about 20 percent of people with the virus will experience mild symptoms like fever or headaches but those normally go away in a few weeks. Most won't need medical attention, he said.
"When you should seek medical care is if you have unusually severe headaches or confusion, you should seek immediate medical care because you may need to be hospitalized," Dr. Bowling said.
The most vulnerable are people over 50 and people with compromised immune systems, he said. People catch the virus from an infected mosquito. The bug has to have been infected from something like an infected bird, he said.
West Nile is not passed from person to person and protecting yourself with bug repellent with DEET is one of the best ways to beat a virus, he said.
If you're worried about your cat or dog, the Centers for Disease Control reports you probably won't even notice any unusual symptoms or behaviors if they're infected.
Dr. Bowling recommends staying indoors from dusk to dawn, dumping any standing water on your property, and wearing long sleeve shirts and pants.
