The West Nile virus, which is actually a tropical disease, is becoming increasingly common in southern Europe. In one region in northern Italy, there have been almost 40 infections this year – and four deaths.
Bologna – According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the West Nile virus is also reaching Europe via migratory birds from the tropics. Mosquitoes then transmit the virus from wild birds to humans. Italy has recently been hit particularly hard: within a few days, four people died in the Emilia-Romagna region, according to the Italian news agency Ansa announcedThe total number of infections has risen to 39 since the beginning of the year. The local health authority is calling on the population to be more vigilant, as there is no vaccination against the virus.
West Nile virus: “Extraordinary surveillance and prevention measures” in northern Italy
The health authority in Modena announced two more deaths of people infected with the West Nile virus, according to a statement on Wednesday (September 4). emerges. The deceased were, according to Ansa They were aged 70 and 86 and had suffered from chronic illnesses. In the days before, two more deaths had been reported following infections with the West Nile virus.
Of a total of 39 confirmed infections since the beginning of the year, four people have died, the health authority said. The risk level has been raised throughout the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. “Extraordinary surveillance and prevention measures against the spread of the West Nile virus will be strictly continued,” the local health authority said. The most important measures include containing the mosquito in green spaces and gardens, such as hospitals and social institutions.
The authority also advises citizens to take action. The population should ensure that their “gardens are kept clean, Race to mow regularly and remove clippings and to remove any standing water that may form in saucers, containers and children’s toys.” Special larvicide treatments in drains and other permanent water deposits should be repeated after heavy rain and carried out consistently every 15 days until the end of September, according to the agency.
These are the symptoms and warning signs of the West Nile virus
According to the RKI, older people and patients with a previous cardiovascular disease or an immune deficiency are particularly at risk. Only in about one in every hundred cases does the disease progress severely after an infection with the West Nile virus. Some of these patients suffer from meningitis, which is usually benign. In many cases, the disease is asymptomatic. Around 20 percent of those infected develop feverish, flu-like symptoms:
- Fever
- chills
- Headache and back pain
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- About 50 percent of those affected develop a pale, maculopapular exanthema – a reddish rash.
The illness lasts about three to six days, with an incubation period of two to 14 days. In rare cases, encephalitis, i.e. inflammation of the brain, develops. Possible symptoms include mental changes, muscle weakness, flaccid paralysis, impaired coordination of movements, inflammation of the optic nerve and changes in the other cranial nerves, and epileptic seizures. In rare cases, inflammation of the heart or liver can occur.
Source: RKI
West Nile virus also elsewhere in Europe: Virus will also establish itself in Germany, according to RKI
In Germany, the virus was first detected in humans in 2019. “The West Nile virus poses an increasing threat to public Health not only in southern Europe, but also in Germany,” said Tomas Jelinek, scientific director of the Center for Travel Medicine (CRM), the German Press Agency. Since the beginning of the year, twelve other European countries have reported cases of West Nile virus infections in humans in addition to Italy: In addition to Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia and Spain, there have also been infections in Germany. This is according to the weekly report of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC of August 28, 2024.
According to the RKI, the fact that the virus has been present in this country for several years suggests that the pathogen overwinters in Germany and “finds sufficiently favorable climatic conditions in the summer.” There is no end in sight to the spread – on the contrary: According to the RKI experts, it is to be expected that the virus will continue to establish itself in this country and that in the coming years there will be “a seasonal occurrence of West Nile virus cases” in Germany. The CRM recommends mosquito protection with a net, repellent spray and long sleeves.
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