West Nile Virus in Europe (Update 1)
17 Aug 2018
Between 3 and 9 August 2018, European Union countries
reported 120 human cases of West Nile fever. Italy reported 72 cases, Greece 16 cases (3 deaths), Romania 16 cases (1 death), Hungary 13 cases and France 3 cases.
Neighbouring countries reported 34 cases; Serbia reported 32 cases (5 deaths) and Kosovo 2 cases (1 death).
In 2018 there has been a total of 335 cases and 17 deaths in the European Union and neighbouring countries listed above, with the transmission season starting ealier than usual this year.
Advice for Travellers
There is no vaccine against WNV.
Travellers should practice Mosquito Bite Avoidance when visiting areas experiencing an outbreak of WNV. These outbreaks will be listed on the destination pages of fitfortravel. Medical advice can be sought if symptoms develop following travel to a risk area.
Note for blood donors: If you have travelled to an area with WNV in the past 4 months you may need to be tested for WNV before donating blood. All travel must be mentioned to the Blood Transfusion Service so that they can determine whether you need to be tested. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service have produced a leaflet which details information about blood donation after travel:
For further information see West Nile Fever.