Symptoms of Jamestown Canyon

For Everyone

Key points

  • Jamestown Canyon virus can result in mild febrile illness or severe neurologic disease, including meningitis or encephalitis.
  • If you think you or a family member might have Jamestown Canyon virus disease (Jamestown Canyon), talk to your healthcare provider.
A woman with headache examines a thermometer.

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

Initial symptoms can include:

  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Headache

Some people also have respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, or runny nose.

Severe illness

Jamestown Canyon virus can cause severe illness, including inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or the membranes around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).

Symptoms of severe illness can include:

  • Stiff neck
  • Confusion
  • Loss of coordination
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Seizures

Treatment

No medicines are available to treat Jamestown Canyon. Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may relieve some symptoms

Outcomes and complications

About half of patients reported with Jamestown Canyon are hospitalized. Deaths associated with Jamestown Canyon are rare.

For Health Care Providers Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Jamestown Canyon Virus Disease

Testing and diagnosis

If you think you or a family member might have Jamestown Canyon, talk to your healthcare provider.

Healthcare providers diagnose Jamestown Canyon 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 spread Jamestown Canyon virus
  • Laboratory testing

Your healthcare provider can order tests to look for Jamestown Canyon virus or other infections that can cause similar symptoms.

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