# Hypochondria Alert! I have West Nile Virus! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152 "2001-09-22T03:09:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/1 "2001-09-22T03:09:13Z")
Well, I must. Here’s why: Two weeks ago dead birds carrying the virus were found in my town. Last week I worked outside and got chewed up by mosquitos, the vector for the disease. I announced to Wife, “If I didn’t have it before, I do now.” She launched into a whole spiel on how most of us have probably been exposed (my interest piques!), but healthy people, at best, don’t come down with it and, at worst, just exhibit flulike symptoms. She might have said more, but all that crap in which I probably WON’T get sick holds no interest for me. A couple days later she suffers flulike symptoms, seemingly without making the slightest effort to get to the toilet first. A couple days later I start exhibiting flulike symptoms, myself. Yesterday a camera crew was filming at the park across the street. More infected birds had been found there. QED, I have West Nile Virus. You can’t argue with that conclusion, either, because my trail of evidence is actually STRONGER than that linking Osama bin Laden to the WTC bombings and we all know that he’s guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/2 "2001-09-22T03:12:41Z")
**drop** , my dear… listen carefully: **no you don’t**. There. Feel better yet? 😉 Reminds me of when they had a meningitis scare in CA, sorta nearish where I lived. My friend came down with a bad cold, and was convinced he had meningitis. Talked him out of that… “But, my neck kinda hurts when I do this.” Anyway, feel better. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/3 "2001-09-22T03:18:46Z")
Actually, I feel fine, **which is another symptom!** I guess I’m just making up for not knowing I had Hepatitis B when I apparently had it. It’s those darned flulike symptoms again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/4 "2001-09-22T03:23:34Z")
Ooooh, watching the news, and here’s a new disease for you: rhamy-somethingoranother. Sorry, I didn’t get more details, but the symptoms are (you guessed it!) flulike symptoms, and dark urine! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/5 "2001-09-22T03:41:12Z")
Hey! I have that! I just thought the dark urine was from the dehydration caused by the WNV’s flulike symptoms. Little did I know. [sub]dear, you do realize, I trust, that I may be many things, some of them quite annoying, but, surprisingly enough, a hypochondriac isn’t one of them. I just needed a device to bring up the news crews across the street along with a commentary on trial by news organization. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/6 "2001-09-22T03:43:04Z")
[sub]I was just tryin’ to play along![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypochondria-alert-i-have-west-nile-virus/83152/7 "2001-09-22T03:56:05Z")
[sub]I thought so, but I wanted to make sure. Other people here think I’m serious if I don’t fill a post with winkies.