West Nile might not strike same person twice

Editor's note: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers medical questions submitted by e-mail on "Your Health," which airs at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturdays. Questions and answers are posted on CNN.com after the show.

Q: If someone gets West Nile, can he or she get it again, or do you build immunity to it? -- Richard in Brick, New Jersey

A: Richard, that very question is on the minds of many people right now, including health officials.

The answer is: We don't know yet. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, suspects that once exposed you are no longer in danger of getting sick a second time.

Its scientists base this educated guess on what they know about other viruses in the same family as the West Nile virus that, with one exception, do not cause illness the second time around.

Q: What are the initial three treatment steps for type 2 diabetes? -- David Ayers in Plattsburgh, New York.

A: Treatment for type 2 diabetes focuses on keeping blood sugar levels within a safe range; this reduces the risk of diabetes' many complications.

Many people can do this by improving their eating habits and exercising, and your doctor may recommend that you lose weight, which may slow down the disease, and maybe even reverse it in some cases.

If exercise doesn't work, you may be given oral medication to take.

But if your pancreas, which sits behind your stomach, produces too little insulin, or stops producing insulin, you would have to take insulin shots.

"Ask Dr. Gupta" is not intended to address specific questions concerning individual cases. CNN does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or provide medical advice, and nothing contained in the responses of CNN through its correspondents is a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always contact your doctor if you need medical advice or treatment, or have any questions regarding a medical condition.