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West Nile virus
noun
, Pathology.
- an illness caused by a chiefly mosquito-borne virus of the genus Flavivirus, characterized in a small percentage of infected persons by fever, headache, muscle weakness, and sometimes encephalitis or meningitis.
- the virus that causes this illness.
West Nile virus
/ wĕstnīl /
- An infectious disease caused by a virus of the genus Flavivirus, occurring in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and parts of North America. The infection is transmitted by a mosquito and can cause mild illness as well as severe, sometimes fatal encephalitis and meningitis.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of West Nile virus1
First recorded in 1935–40; named after the West Nile region of Uganda
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Example Sentences
West Nile Virus is an infectious disease spread by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds.
From The Daily Beast
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