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.
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.