West Nile virus in the USA: Florida

09 Aug 2024

According to media, public health authorities in Florida have reported the first two human West Nile virus (WNV) cases of 2024 this past week. Both cases were infected in July and were reported from Duval and Marion countries. A further two infections in blood donors who had no symptoms were also recorded in July, in Marion and Walton counties.

West Nile virus is spread by mosquito bites and can cause a flu-like illness and sometimes, severe disease.

Advice for Travellers

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

When visiting areas affected by WNV, you should:

• practice mosquito bite avoidance measures at all times
• 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.