West Nile Virus struck again after two year hiatus, reaching new areas

A recently released study, presented to the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, demonstrated a 2017 reemergence of West Nile Virus (WNV) spreading to new areas in Greece.

In all, scientists found 26 patients with the disease. An additional 19 had WNV fever. Of these, five died by the end of the study. The median age of affected patients was 63, and among those killed, all were older than 70. This followed two years of relative peace on the West Nile front.

“The reemergence of WNV after a two-year hiatus of reported human cases and its subsequent geographic expansion in newly affected areas demonstrates that Greece provides the appropriate ecological and climatic conditions for WNV circulation,” professor Athanassios Tsakris, head of the University of Athens Medical School’s Microbiology Department, said. “The virus has been established in Greece and disease transmission may continue in the future. Epidemiological surveillance, intensive mosquito management programmes and public education about personal protective measures are crucial to prevent WNV transmission, especially among susceptible population groups.”

Each case struck in southern Greece, and the majority of cases struck in new territories. The research team led by Tsakris concluded that Greece’s landscape is one of many factors influencing the transmission of the disease. On the other hand, the decline of WNV in the preceding years was potentially attributed to the nation’s mosquito management strategy. Another factor may be growing immune response against WNV in humans.