West Nile virus in Europe
07 Aug 2023
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported 36 human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in the week ending 2 August 2023. Cases were reported from Italy (25, including 1 death), Greece (8, including 2 deaths) and France (3).
This week, the following regions reported human cases of WNV infection for the first time since the start of this season: Imathia, Pella and Larissa (Greece), Gironde (France), Novara, Cremona, Mantova, Modena, Torino, Pavia, Lodi, Milano, Verona, Piacenza, Reggio nell’Emilia, Bologna and Ravenna (Italy).
From the beginning of the 2023 transmission season to 2 August 2023, European countries have reported 41
cases of WNV infection in: Italy (26), Greece (11), France (3) and Hungary (1).
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 experiencing an outbreak of 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.