West Nile Virus in Europe
26 Jul 2018
As expected in summer, West Nile virus is being reported by European countries.
From the beginning of the 2018 transmission season to 19 July 2018, there have been 48 reports from: Serbia (29), Greece (12), Italy (4), Romania (2) and Hungary (1).
Advice for Travellers
There is no vaccine against WNV.
Travellers should practice Mosquito Bite Avoidance when visiting areas experiencing an outbreak of WNV. These outbreaks will be listed on the destination pages of fitfortravel. Medical advice can be sought if symptoms develop following travel to a risk area.
Note for blood donors: If you have travelled to an area with WNV in the past 4 months you may need to be tested for WNV before donating blood. All travel must be mentioned to the Blood Transfusion Service so that they can determine whether you need to be tested. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service have produced a leaflet which details information about blood donation after travel:
For further information see West Nile Fever.