Arboviruses

When a group of viruses infects a person by the bite of an infected arthropod (insect), such as a tick or mosquito, it is referred to as an arboviral disease. Typically, these infections take place in the warm months when ticks and mosquitoes are most active. Arboviruses can affect both plants and animals, including people. Arbovirus infection symptoms in humans typically appear 3–15 days after virus exposure and remain for three–four days. Fever, headaches, and malaise are the most typical clinical signs of infection; however encephalitis and viral hemorrhagic fever can also occur.

The viruses can cause very severe symptoms or no symptoms or very mild flu-like symptoms. The best defence against these unpleasant viral infections is to avoid insect bites.

Arboviruses come in a variety of forms. Arboviruses are categorised into distinct genera. The following are the three main genera of arboviruses that infect humans:

• Flaviviruses include japanese encephalitis, west nile virus, zika virus, dengue fever, and yellow fever.
• Ross river virus, eastern equine virus, and western equine virus are examples of toga virus.
• Bunyviruses include the jamestown canyon virus, la crosse virus, and california encephalitis.

Arboviruses can be classified into two classes based on their clinical characteristics and symptoms:

1)Non-neuroinvasive: The symptoms of non-neuroinvasive arboviruses vary slightly. Since the nervous system is unaffected, they normally do not result in altered mental states like confusion or seizures. Fever is one of the non-neuroinvasive symptoms, along with the symptoms listed below:

• Muscle aches
• Joint discomfort
• Headache
• Rash 
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea 
• Upset stomach
• Seizures

2)Neuroinvasive: Neuroinvasive diseases have signs that can infect the nervous system. The following are signs and symptoms of neuroinvasive, which also include a sudden onset of fever:

• Headache
• Stiff neck 
• Soreness in the muscles
• Confusion or disorientation 
• Weakness in the arms and legs
• Seizures

There are vaccines available for the following arboviral illnesses:

• Rift valley fever
• Tick-borne encephalitis
• Yellow fever and japanese encephalitis (only veterinary use)