West Nile virus in Europe: Update 1
12 Aug 2024
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) in eight European countries.
Austria: Vienna area. 2 cases
France: Var. 1 case
Greece: Achaia, Chalkidiki, Karditsa, Trikala, Larisa, Lefkada, Pella, Serres, Thesprotia and Thessaloniki. 31 cases (5 deaths)
Hungary: Budapest and Hajdu-Bihar. 2 cases
Italy: Barletta-Andria-Trani, Ferrara, Mantova, Modena, Padova, Piacenza, Pordenone, Taranto and Treviso. 25 cases (2 deaths)
Romania: Bucharest. 1 case
Spain: Seville. 5 cases (1 death)
Serbia: Belgrade and Juzno-Backi. 2 cases
West Nile virus is spread by mosquito bites and can cause a flu-like illness, sometimes leading to severe or life-threatening disease.
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.