West Nile virus in Italy (La Spezia)

12 Jul 2021

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported a case of West Nile virus (WNV) in La Spezia, north west Italy in the week before 8 July 2021. This is the first time a human case of WNV has been recorded in this province.

West Nile Fever is caused by West Nile virus (WNV).  It is spread by Culex mosquito bites and can cause a flu-like illness and rarely, severe disease.

Advice for Travellers

WNV is rare in travellers. There is no vaccine against WNV.

When visiting areas experiencing an outbreak of WNV, you should:

• practice mosquito bite avoidance measures both day and night
• seek medical advice if you develop a sudden onset of flu-like symptoms with a high temperature (fever) following travel to a risk area

Note for blood donors: if you have recently travelled to an area with WNV transmission, you may need to be tested for WNV before donating blood.

• see the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service website for further details

For further information see the fitfortravel West Nile Fever page.