Clinical trials are best defined as a test or series of tests performed in order to gather information to solve a problem, typically a disease of some sort effecting humans. One of thousands of clinical trials being performed is over the West Nile Virus. Which is transmitted by mosquitoes. I chose this trial because I could definately relate to it. Several years ago I did indeed contract West Nile on a trip to Iowa. It was a rather horrible experience that I couldn't do much for other than endure its wrath. I had a fever of about 104degrees which I then suffered Hallucinations from (I don't recall any of them). I wasn't able to hold down and food or drink and I thus lost about 10lbs of water weight! The week long sickness was definitely one of the most horrible things that I have ever experienced. The virus is nowhere near as "popular" as it was several years ago. However, there have been various trials performed on it. In the majority of these trials a placebo, or sugar pill which doesn't effect the patient in any way, was used in order to compare the outcomes versus of the actual drug. When a placebo is being used it is called a "double blind trial" which means the patient doesn't now whether they are taking a placebo or actual drug. This is done so that the researches can gather accurate information on the effects.
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