The latest trend we are observing to dissuade physicians from testing for West Nile infection is concern about insurability of the patient over the long term. This concern is highlighted by findings of long term sequelae from West Nile infection (see attached for an excellent review).
What this means is enhancement of a typical pattern in clinical surveillance- that clinicians are more likely to order a diagnostic test for West Nile infection if the patient is admitted to the ICU > admission to the general ward / visit to the emergency department > outpatient setting. So, the probability of seeing low morbidity confirmations of West Nile infection may be even lower now due to concern now about insurability over the long run for the patient.
Download The Long-Term Outcomes of Human West Nile Virus Infection
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