West Nile Fever Infections in Europe

The European Center for Disease Control has reported 426 sporadic cases of West Nile Fever in Greece (the most affected country), Romania, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia, Israel, Turkey, and the Republic of North Macedonia.

Advice

Although the number of cases is not high for any one country, there have been 42 deaths, which are almost 10 percent of the total. Travellers who plan to spend a lot of time outdoors or who will be in areas with a lot of mosquitoes are at increased risk of exposure to West Nile Virus. The risk of exposure for the general traveller is quite low. However, in a small number of infected people, West Nile virus can cause serious neurological illness, including death. Since there is no vaccine or treatment for West Nile fever, travellers to areas where this virus has been found can reduce their risk of exposure by taking all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites.