EIGHT people have died of West Nile virus so far this year in Europe. Five were in Greece, two in Italy, and one in Spain, according to figures from the European Center of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 2 Human cases have been reported in Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia.
As of July 31, there has been a total of 69 locally-acquired infections across the continent. They were highest in Greece , where 31 were confirmed, followed by Italy (25) and Spain (5). Austria, Hungary and Serbia each reported two cases, while France and Romania both detected one.
READ MORE ON WEST NILE VIRUS BUZZ OFF Cases of paralysing virus found in 9 European holiday hotspots - with 709 infected BUZZ ALERT Holiday warning as fatal paralysing virus found in Spanish and Italian hotspots Croatia reported its first case in August. Officials say the total number of cases reported in 2024 is within the "expected range", but data suggests it is higher than in previous years. There were 709 reported cases in nine European countries in 2023, including 67 deaths.
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