Public - West Nile Virus Disease

West Nile Virus Disease

Author: Amy V. Bode, MD, MSPH; James J. Sejvar, MD; Anthony A. Marfin, MD, MPH
Editorial changes - 2008-02-22
Author information and module status



		Prevention
		Screening
		Diagnosis
		Consultation for Diagnosis
		Hospitalization
		Non-drug Therapy
		Drug Therapy
		Patient Education
		Consultation for Management
		Follow-up

	Tables
	References
	Glossary
	What's New
	Patient Information
	Additional Resources
	Tools

Drug Therapy
Consider acyclovir if HSV cannot be excluded. Consider corticosteroids or mannitol for cerebral edema. Consider anticonvulsant medications. Consider enrollment in clinical antiviral trials if available.
Drug Treatment for WNV Encephalitis and Other Neuroinvasive Syndromes (table)

Consider acyclovir if HSV cannot be excluded.
Treat HSV encephalitis with acyclovir, 8 to 10 mg/kg iv every 8 hours for 10 to 14 days, or until HSV can be excluded by CSF studies, EEG, and/or MRI. See table Drug Treatment for WNV Encephalitis and Other Neuroinvasive Syndromes.
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Consider corticosteroids or mannitol for cerebral edema.
Consider high-dose, short-course corticosteroids for cerebral edema, e.g., dexamethasone, 10 mg iv followed by 4 mg iv every 6 hours. See table Drug Treatment for WNV Encephalitis and Other Neuroinvasive Syndromes.
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Consider anticonvulsant medications.
Administer anticonvulsants only in patients who have seizures. See table Drug Treatment for WNV Encephalitis and Other Neuroinvasive Syndromes. See module Epilepsy.
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Consider enrollment in clinical antiviral trials if available.
Consider trials of interferon alfa, immunoglobulin, and anti-sense agent if the patient has severe disease and if trials are available. See table Drug Treatment for WNV Encephalitis and Other Neuroinvasive Syndromes.
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FAQs

Amy V. Bode, MD, MSPH has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Anthony A. Marfin, MD, MPH has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. Carrie Nielsen, PhD, editorial consultant, has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations. James J. Sejvar, MD has no financial relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or health-care related organizations.

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