The number of people infected with West Nile fever in European Union countries has reached 1,855, with 141 cases proving fatal, according to infohub.kz.
Reuters reports that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have confirmed that current figures are nearly three times the average for the past decade.
"In 2026, West Nile virus reached record levels in Europe, with the number of human cases and animal outbreaks exceeding historical figures," the agency quoted Giuseppina Amore, a scientific officer in EFSA's Biological Hazards and Health unit, as saying.
Since September, the number of cases in Europe has risen by 769. Italy remains the main epicenter with 748 infections. Greece and France reported record highs of 445 and 144 cases, respectively.
At the same time, the virus is actively spreading among animals in 15 countries. Health officials have recorded about 500 outbreaks in horses and nearly 600 in birds. Although the mosquito season is coming to an end, experts warn that new isolated infections may still be detected for several weeks.
West Nile virus (WNV) is an RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family that causes an acute vector-borne viral disease. It triggers high fever and is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is trying to cope with a large-scale Ebola outbreak. However, the number of cases and deaths from the disease continues to rise.