Holidaymakers jetting off to Spain and Italy are on high alert after a surge in cases of a potentially fatal virus. The West Nile Virus has struck down an individual in Seville, Spain, while another case has emerged in Modena, Italy.
The virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, can cause severe symptoms in one out of every five infected individuals, leading to fever, body aches, rashes, and vomiting.
In extreme instances, patients may suffer from seizures, muscle weakness, and even paralysis. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has sounded the alarm, confirming that these incidents were locally acquired rather than imported from tropical regions.
Additionally, the presence of the virus has been detected in mosquitoes within Italy’s Chieti province. Alarmingly, the Zika virus has also been identified in mosquitoes across 26 European nations, including popular holiday destinations Majorca and Menorca, where visitors are being cautioned about the striped Tiger Mosquitoes known to carry the disease.
The ECDC has issued stark warnings about the escalating severity of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks across Europe, with dengue and chikungunya viruses also on the rise, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Andrea Ammon, Director of the ECDC, commented: “Europe is already seeing how climate change is creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquitoes to spread into previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases such as dengue. Increased international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases, and inevitably also the risk of local outbreaks.”
Last year, the ECDC reported a staggering 713 locally acquired cases of West Nile virus across nine European countries, resulting in 67 deaths and spreading to 22 new regions previously untouched by the virus.
The main hotspots for the virus last year were Italy, Greece, Romania, Hungary, and Spain.
The West Nile virus poses a significant threat to individuals over 50 and those with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. The virus can lead to severe complications requiring hospitalisation, including meningitis and encephalitis.
