Woman May Be Japan’s First Case of West Nile Virus

A Japanese woman is suspected of becoming infected with West Nile virus in a visit to the United States, in what would be the first case of the disease in Japan.

A Japanese woman is suspected of becoming infected with West Nile virus in a visit to the United States, in what would be the first case of the disease in Japan.Tests on the woman found signs she may have West Nile or Japanese encephalitis, but results of a final check will not be known before next Monday, government officials said on Friday.The 42-year-old woman had traveled throughout the United States, including New York and California where there have been outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease, Japanese reports said. She became ill while returning home on July 31 and was taken to hospital in Okinawa in southern Japan, they said.But the woman has since left hospital and is recovering, top government spokesman Hiroyuki Hosoda said.Hosoda called for calm, saying even if it was confirmed as West Nile the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person.About 80 percent of people infected with the virus develop no symptoms. The remaining 20 percent suffer fever, headache and muscle and joint aches. About 1 percent of victims contract severe neurological disease, such as meningitis or encephalitis.Last year West Nile infected 9,300 people and killed 240 in the United States. It also infected an estimated 1,300 people in Canada, killing 10. (Source: Reuters, August 2004)