[REVISION HISTORY]

West Nile virus surge across Europe and North America

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2026-10-12 12:19 UTC → 2026-10-19 11:15 UTC · added ~~removed~~

West Nile virus ~~and mosquito-borne illnesses~~ surge in across Europe and North America

The West Nile virus outbreak ~~continues to expand~~ has expanded significantly across ~~Europe~~ Europe. By early September 2026, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and ~~North America.~~ Control (ECDC) reported 1,086 locally acquired infections across 15 countries. Italy has reported the highest volume with 516 cases, followed by Greece with 284 and Spain with 88. In Greece, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) ~~has reported 443~~ recorded 324 domestic ~~infections since~~ cases and 30 deaths, marking a new annual record. The Attica region has implemented emergency mosquito spraying, and the ~~start of 2026,~~ virus has reached Crete, with several locally acquired cases reported in Rethymno and urban Heraklion. In North Macedonia, 58 cases and eight deaths have been confirmed, primarily in Skopje. Bulgaria and Albania have also reported their first cases of the ~~death toll rising to 47. The Larissa municipality has emerged as a primary hotspot~~ season. In Italy, authorities are managing outbreaks in multiple regions. Beyond the previously established task forces, recent reports indicate 312 cases through mid-August, with ~~45 cases, many involving central nervous system complications. High-risk areas remain designated across Attica, Thessaly,~~ fatalities in Veneto and ~~Central Macedonia.~~ Campania. Local municipalities, such as Bisceglie, have initiated nocturnal adulticide treatments. Italy is also managing concurrent Dengue fever outbreaks in Tuscany and Umbria. In Romania, the National Institute of Public Health ~~has~~ reported ~~121~~ 58 cases and 8 three deaths, with ~~the highest concentration of infections in Bucharest. Most Romanian cases have affected individuals over~~ Bucharest remaining the ~~age of 50.~~ primary hotspot. In Cyprus, while experts suggest transmission is not yet widespread, health officials have issued urgent warnings following ~~the death of~~ a ~~90-year-old man,~~ fatality in the ~~number of total cases rose to 10 within a two-week period.~~ Nicosia region. In Spain, the Junta de Andalucía declared alerts in several municipalities after detecting the virus in mosquito traps. In the United States, a 13-year-old boy in ~~Long Beach, California,~~ California was hospitalized with transverse myelitis, a rare complication involving spinal cord inflammation. In Italy, where the virus was previously detected in 83 provinces, local authorities are shifting toward long-term prevention. The Oristano City Council has approved a motion to establish a permanent institutional task force and a multidisciplinary technical-scientific commission. This operational group, involving the University of ~~Sassari and various agricultural associations, will focus on scientific research, data monitoring, and~~ the ~~experimentation of biological treatments in rice fields to combat mosquito vectors.~~ virus.

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