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Dr. Mohammed Bilgrami, infectious disease specialist with WillowWood Adult Medicine in Robinwood Medical Center, east of Hagerstown, said West Nile is of concern, but the chances of getting it are low. (ByJoe Crocetta/Staff Photographer / September 28, 2012) |
Don't panic.
The odds of catching West Nile Virus are very low, and the odds of suffering serious illness or death are enormously remote.
That's the message from Dr. Mohammed Bilgrami, infectious disease specialist with WillowWood Adult Medicine in Robinwood Medical Center, east of Hagerstown.
"The message is: Do not panic," Bilgrami said during an interview in mid-September.
Yes, West Nile Virus does kill or cause serious illness in a tiny percentage of infected people. But keep it in perspective: Americans are more likely to die from drowning, accidental poisoning, even from falling, than from West Nile Virus.
Family tradition
Bilgrami joined the staff at WillowWood about three months ago. He transferred to Hagerstown from a residency in infectious disease at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago.
In specializing in infectious diseases, he is following in his father's footsteps.
"I'm Indian. I came the United States seven years ago," he said. "I've grown up seeing my family working in infectious diseases. My father was a chief medical officer in the Institute of Tropical Diseases in India, where the malarial parasite was discovered. And my elder brother works here in Hagerstown, also in infectious diseases."
Bilgrami said his specialty offers endless opportunity to learn about human health.
"It is always new — always new things come up with infectious disease," he said. "And it's not localized to a specific organ, like cardiology, where they're restricted to heart, or pulmonary, where they're restricted to lungs. My interest is in any infection, from head to toes."
Recently Bilgrami encountered a new virus first-hand. He oversaw a patient infected with West Nile Virus, which is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes.
"This year, there were 3,142 cases (of West Nile infections) in the country so far. Maryland had 30 cases," he said. "There's one case from Washington County. I took care of this patient. She was discharged with no problems."
A new health threat
West Nile Virus first appeared in the United States in 1999, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was found in humans and horses. The disease's roots are African, as the name suggests.
"The name came from the place it was first derived — the east of Africa, in Uganda, in 1937," Bilgrami said. "Previously, it was found this was a virus that only infected animals — birds, horses, cats, dogs, squirrels, chipmunks and domestic rabbits."
Nationwide the highest incidence of West Nile is in August when mosquitoes are at their most active, he said.
Over the past 13 years, the disease has spread rapidly across the United States and around the world. Infection numbers are increasing, but not steadily. In 2009, the CDC reported 720 cases in the United States, with 32 deaths. In 2010, there were 1,021 cases, with 57 deaths. In 2011, there were 712 cases with 43 deaths.
There was a huge jump in numbers of cases in 2012. On Sept. 25, the CDC reported 3,545 cases so far this year, with 147 resulting in death.
The odds of catching West Nile Virus are very low, and the odds of suffering serious illness or death are enormously remote.
That's the message from Dr. Mohammed Bilgrami, infectious disease specialist with WillowWood Adult Medicine in Robinwood Medical Center, east of Hagerstown.
"The message is: Do not panic," Bilgrami said during an interview in mid-September.
Yes, West Nile Virus does kill or cause serious illness in a tiny percentage of infected people. But keep it in perspective: Americans are more likely to die from drowning, accidental poisoning, even from falling, than from West Nile Virus.
Family tradition
Bilgrami joined the staff at WillowWood about three months ago. He transferred to Hagerstown from a residency in infectious disease at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago.
In specializing in infectious diseases, he is following in his father's footsteps.
"I'm Indian. I came the United States seven years ago," he said. "I've grown up seeing my family working in infectious diseases. My father was a chief medical officer in the Institute of Tropical Diseases in India, where the malarial parasite was discovered. And my elder brother works here in Hagerstown, also in infectious diseases."
Bilgrami said his specialty offers endless opportunity to learn about human health.
"It is always new — always new things come up with infectious disease," he said. "And it's not localized to a specific organ, like cardiology, where they're restricted to heart, or pulmonary, where they're restricted to lungs. My interest is in any infection, from head to toes."
Recently Bilgrami encountered a new virus first-hand. He oversaw a patient infected with West Nile Virus, which is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes.
"This year, there were 3,142 cases (of West Nile infections) in the country so far. Maryland had 30 cases," he said. "There's one case from Washington County. I took care of this patient. She was discharged with no problems."
A new health threat
West Nile Virus first appeared in the United States in 1999, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was found in humans and horses. The disease's roots are African, as the name suggests.
"The name came from the place it was first derived — the east of Africa, in Uganda, in 1937," Bilgrami said. "Previously, it was found this was a virus that only infected animals — birds, horses, cats, dogs, squirrels, chipmunks and domestic rabbits."
Nationwide the highest incidence of West Nile is in August when mosquitoes are at their most active, he said.
Over the past 13 years, the disease has spread rapidly across the United States and around the world. Infection numbers are increasing, but not steadily. In 2009, the CDC reported 720 cases in the United States, with 32 deaths. In 2010, there were 1,021 cases, with 57 deaths. In 2011, there were 712 cases with 43 deaths.
There was a huge jump in numbers of cases in 2012. On Sept. 25, the CDC reported 3,545 cases so far this year, with 147 resulting in death.