At least 69 people have been infected and eight people have died due to the West Nile virus, which spreads more frequently during the summer in Europe. As the summer heats up, nine European countries are reporting local spread of the West Nile virus (WNV) and eight people have died from the mosquito-borne illness, according to the EU’s disease prevention agency. At least 69 infections have been reported this summer, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) .
It added that WNV cases are expected to rise in the coming weeks and months given the warmer summer weather and because the mosquitoes that spread the virus are native to Europe. “The transmission season is well under way,” the ECDC said. As of the end of July, locally acquired human cases have been reported mainly in Greece (31) and Italy (25), but also in Spain (five), Austria, Hungary, and Serbia (two each), and Romania and France (one case each).
Croatia also reported its in August. Five people have died in Greece, two in Italy and one in Spain. Greece’s health authority issued a , saying more cases are expected to emerge and that people should to prevent infection, such as reducing time spent outdoors in affected areas.
Last year, nine European Union countries reported a total of , including 67 deaths. That’s down from the 1,116 cases reported in 2022, although more regions were affected by the spread of the virus in 2023 than any year since 2018. “At the European level, the total num.