West Nile sub-region is a region in north-western Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

 that consists of the districts of Adjumani

Adjumani District

Adjumani District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Adjumani, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...

, Arua

Arua District

Arua District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it shares its name with its administrative center of Arua. The district is named after the town.-Location:...

, Koboko

Koboko District

Koboko District is a district in Northern Uganda. The district is named after its 'chief town', Koboko, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...

, Maracha-Terego

Maracha-Terego District

Maracha-Terego is a district in northwestern Uganda. It was formed in 2006 from Arua District.-Location:The district is bordered by Yumbe District to the north, Arua District to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and Koboko District to the northwest...

, Moyo

Moyo District

Moyo District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like many other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Moyo, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...

, Nebbi

Nebbi District

Nebbi District is a district in Northern Uganda. It is named after its main municipal, commercial and administrative centre, Nebbi, the location of the district headquarters.-Location:...

 and Yumbe

Yumbe District

Yumbe District is a district in Northern Region, Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Yumbe, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:Yumbe District is one of Uganda's most northern districts...

. The sub-region received its name from being located on the western side of the White Nile

White Nile

The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...

.

Name in virology

In 1937, during research on yellow fever

Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....

, a previously unknown virus was isolated in samples taken from a feverish woman. It was subsequently designated West Nile virus

West Nile virus

West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...

.