Two more people die from West Nile virus after being bitten by mosquitos
Two more people have died in Spain after they were bitten by mosquitos following an outbreak of West Nile virus across parts of Europe.
Five people have died from the virus in the south of Spain since the beginning of this year and 12 others have been killed in Greece.
The latest people who have died in Spain include a 71-year-old man who was admitted to intensive care in a hospital in Seville.
The age of the other person is not yet known but both lived in Coria del Rio on the banks of the Guadalquivir River.
Ten new cases of the virus have also been identified in the area.
So far, Granada Romero Ruiz, 86, died on July 19 after she was admitted to hospital on July 11.
Her son Antonio Pineda said she was in good health before the mosquito bite.
La Puebla del Rio Town Hall, said in a statement on X: ‘We deeply regret the death of Granada, affected by West Nile virus.
‘We will work tirelessly so that all public providers do the utmost against this virus and there is a permanent strategy in place to tackle mosquitos.’
The other two victims lived in Dos Hermanas and Coria del Rio.
Tourists travelling to Spain have been warned about the virus over the last few years.
What is West Nile virus?
West Nile virus is spread by the Culex mosquito and first reached Spain in 2004 with horses being most affected.
Elderly people and those with underlying health conditions like diabetes and cancer are most at risk and it can cause meningitis in children.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash.
There are no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat West Nile virus disease.
Most people infected with it do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
Wetlands and swimming pools in countryside areas have been identified as the places where the mosquitoes carrying the virus are most likely to be found.
People become infected with the virus when mosquitoes feed on infected birds and then bite people.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported 713 cases and 67 of West Nile virus across nine different European countries.
Last year’s main hotspots for the virus were Italy, Greece, Romania, Hungary, and Spain.
Pablo Barreiro, an expert in infectious diseases, said the virus has the potential to spread to other areas in Spain following an outbreak in 2020.
He said: ‘Only about two to five per cent of the cases present symptoms.
‘It’s an illness that can go unnoticed very easily.’
Director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Andrea Ammon, said last month: ‘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.’
Other West Nile virus cases have been detected in Greece this summer and so far 12 people have died.
Tourists from the UK have been warned after cases have been recorded in major cities like Athens and Thessaloniki as well as other areas across the country.
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