More than 650 West Nile virus cases recorded in Italy — NPR
More than 650 cases of West Nile virus infection have been registered in Italy since the beginning of the year — about half of all cases recorded in Europe. Italian health authorities link the spread of the infection to new areas and the extension of the transmission season to rising temperatures and longer warm periods.
As NPR reports, West Nile virus has been considered endemic in Italy since 2020, when the number of cases began to rise. The infection is now recorded every summer and in early autumn. According to Antonino Bella, a researcher at the Italian National Institute of Health, higher temperatures promote mosquito reproduction and extend the period during which the virus is transmitted to people.
The transmission season may last until November
Experts note that the current number of cases generally corresponds to figures from recent seasons. At the same time, warmer weather may extend the transmission season in some places until November. Infections are increasingly being registered in areas where they were previously almost never recorded.
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About 80% of infected people have no symptoms. In most other cases, the disease has a mild, flu-like course. Severe neurological complications occur in a small proportion of patients, primarily among older people and those with underlying medical conditions.
The spread of mosquitoes in Europe
Marc-Alain Widdowson, head of the Pandemic Threats, Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance unit at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said that warming is extending the period during which the virus and its vectors reproduce in an increasing number of countries. He also cited biodiversity loss and changes in land use among the factors behind the virus’s increased activity.
In June, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned that hotter and longer summers, heatwaves and floods are creating more favorable conditions for invasive mosquito species. According to the center, Aedes albopictus spread over ten years from eight countries and 114 regions to 13 countries and 337 regions. The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can carry West Nile virus, has become established in Cyprus since 2022.
