The number of people infected with West Nile fever in European Union countries has risen to 1,855, including 141 fatalities. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the figures exceeded the ten-year average by nearly three times.
"In 2026, West Nile virus reached record levels in Europe, with the number of human cases and outbreaks among animals exceeding historical figures," Giuzi Amore, a scientific officer at EFSA's Biological Hazards and Health department, told the agency.
Since September, the number of cases in Europe has jumped by 769 people. Italy remains the main epicenter with 748 cases, while Greece and France reported historic highs of 445 and 144 cases respectively.
At the same time, the virus is actively affecting fauna in 15 countries. Sanitary doctors recorded five hundred outbreaks among horses and almost 600 among birds. Although the mosquito activity season is coming to an end, experts warn that new isolated infections may still be detected for several weeks.
West Nile virus (WNV) is an RNA-containing virus of the Flaviviridae family that causes an acute vector-borne viral disease. It causes high fever and is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the Democratic Republic of Congo is trying to cope with a large-scale Ebola fever epidemic. However, the number of cases and deaths from the disease continues to grow.
If this article causes you anxiety, discuss it with an artificial psychologist.