AMA promotes JAMA Patient Page to educate public on West Nile Virus
August 27, 2012
In response to the West Nile virus outbreak, the American Medical Association (AMA) is offering a free resource from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) to help the public and physicians obtain more information about the virus. The JAMA Patient Page onWest Nile is designed to inform the public about transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and other sources of information about the virus.
"As the nation's largest physician organization, the AMA is dedicated to promoting the betterment of public health," said AMA President-elect Ardis Hoven, MD. "This epidemic is a significant threat to public health, and it is our hope that patients and physicians can use this information to learn more about the virus and what can be done to prevent infection."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 30,000 people in the U.S. have been reported as getting sick with West Nile virus since 1999. This year, the 1,118 reported cases of West Nile virus in humans is the highest number of cases reported to the CDC through this point in the year since the virus was first detected in the U.S. in 1999.
A JAMA Viewpoint examining the current outbreak of the West Nile virus infection is also available to JAMA subscribers.