West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.75

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		bloodstream, currently, encephalitis, epidemic, flu-like, inflammation, multiplies, repellant, respiratory, diagnose, province, extremely, fatigue, possibility, transplant, therefore
	content words:		West Nile Virus, West Nile, Nile Virus, Middle East, United States

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West Nile Virus
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     Have you ever heard of the West Nile Virus? It is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. That's quite a mouthful to say the least. Its name came from the province in Uganda where it was first found. The West Nile virus was first discovered there in 1937.

²     The West Nile Virus is a microscopic organism. It can cause disease in birds, horses, humans, bats, skunks, and squirrels. Since the 1950s, there have been outbreaks of the West Nile Virus in Africa, Middle East, Australia, and some portions of Europe. It was first noticed in the United States in 1999.

³     The West Nile Virus is spread by the Culex species of mosquito. Mosquitoes sometimes feed on infected birds and contract the virus. When they bite humans or animals, they can transmit the virus. Once in the bloodstream, it multiplies and spreads. Not all mosquitoes are infected, though. Not everyone that is bitten by an infected mosquito will get the virus either.

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