What is west nile virus?

West nile virus (WNV) is a disease that is transmitted through mosquitoes that have fed on wild birds that are infected with the disease. In Asia and Africa ticks also carry the disease, but there is no evidence of that in other parts of the world.

WNV was discovered in East Africa in the 1930s, but is thought to have been around for perhaps 1,000 years. Given reported symptoms and claims of many avian deaths just prior to is own death, some historians believe that ...