West Nile fever
2018 transmission season: human cases so far exceed the total number in previous five years
The number of WNV infections reported so far exceeds the total number of infections in the previous five years. This suggests a high level of virus circulation in affected countries. For comparison, within only one week, in the end of August, 300 human cases were notified in the EU – this is more than the total number of annual cases reported in 2017 (207 cases) or 2016 (225), and similar to the numbers for the last major season, in 2010 (393). The virus has spread to areas where no human locally-acquired cases had been reported previously.
As expected at this time of the year, the weekly number of cases has started to decrease.
During the transmission season (usually from July to November), ECDC issues weekly updates every Friday.
Last updated: 16 November 2018
Up to week 42