Jamestown Canyon: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Key points

  • Jamestown Canyon virus can result in febrile illness or neurologic disease, including meningitis or encephalitis.
  • If you think you or a family member might have Jamestown Canyon virus disease (Jamestown Canyon), talk with your healthcare provider.
  • There is no specific treatment for Jamestown Canyon.
  • Rest, fluids, and pain medications may relieve symptoms.
Woman in bed looking at a thermometer and her hand is on her forehead

Symptoms

Many people infected with Jamestown Canyon virus do not have symptoms. For people with symptoms, the time from mosquito bite to feeling sick (incubation period) ranges from a few days to 2 weeks.

  • Initial symptoms can include fever, fatigue, and headache.
    • Some people also have respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, or runny nose.
  • Jamestown Canyon virus can cause severe disease, including inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).
    • Symptoms of severe disease can include stiff neck, confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, or seizures.
    • About half of patients reported with Jamestown Canyon are hospitalized.
    • Deaths associated with Jamestown Canyon are rare.

Diagnosis

If you think you or a family member might be infected with Jamestown Canyon virus, talk with your healthcare provider.

  • Healthcare providers diagnose Jamestown Canyon virus infection based on:
    • Signs and symptoms
    • History of living in or traveling to an area where Jamestown Canyon virus is known to circulate
    • History of possible exposure to the mosquitoes that can carry Jamestown Canyon virus
    • Laboratory testing of blood or spinal fluid
  • Your healthcare provider can order tests to look for Jamestown Canyon virus infection or other infections that can cause similar symptoms.

To learn more about testing, visit our Healthcare Providers page.

Treatment

  • There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat Jamestown Canyon. Antibiotics do not treat viruses.
  • Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms.
  • In severe cases, patients may need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care.

To learn more about treatment, visit our Healthcare Providers page.

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Content Source:
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)