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At least two men aged 70 and 77 and a woman aged 85 died after being infected by the Nile virus in southern Spain. Seville is the most affected city in Andalusia, with 33 infected and 14 hospitalized.
In Portugal, the presence of the virus has been detected several times during the last five years, especially in the Algarve and Alentejo, and it often affects equines.
Marta Díaz, a specialist in infectious diseases and tropical medicine, told TSF that it is “completely plausible that this disease can develop anywhere in the Iberian Peninsula”, that “it has been present in Europe in an important way for many years”. The latest outbreak, he added, occurred in 2018 and reached countries such as Italy, Greece and Romania.
In humans, West Nile virus infection causes flu-like symptoms, but in extreme cases it can cause tremors, fever, coma, and an inflammation of the brain known as encephalitis. It can also cause meningitis.
To control the increase in cases in Spain, the Junta de Andalucía smoked several wetlands in the region to kill mosquitoes and reduce the risk of transmission. He also encouraged people in the region to use mosquito nets at home.
Discovered in 1937 in Uganda, the virus is transmitted by birds and infects humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. It occurs in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
Viruses are not spread from person to person
In Portugal, on the website of the Directorate General of Health (DGS), the agency clarifies that the virus is not transmitted from person to person, but “only by bites of mosquitoes of the genus Culex” and, in 20% of the infections, can lead to feverish illness with mild clinical manifestations, which rarely can turn into viral meningitis. “
