Biologist warns of risk of West Nile fever spreading to EU
Quick Look
- Biologist-entomologist Fabrizio Montarsi from the laboratory of medical entomology of the Experimental Animal Prevention Institute of Venice said that the risk of West Nile fever spreading across the countries of the European continent is real, including the eastern part of Europe.
- According to the ECDC, by the end of September, local human cases had been reported in 16 European countries, including Italy, Greece, Spain, France and the Netherlands.
- Infected birds migrating due to climate change may carry the virus to new areas.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
West Nile fever is a viral disease transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The main reservoirs of the virus are birds. Climate change is affecting the migratory routes of birds, which may contribute to the spread of the virus to new territories.
The risk of West Nile fever spreading across countries on the European continent is real; the fever could spread to new regions of Europe, including in the eastern part, says Fabrizio Montarsi, a biologist and entomologist at the Medical Entomology Laboratory of the Experimental Zoological Prevention Institute of Venice (IZSVe).
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), as of the end of September, local cases of human infection were registered in 16 European countries, including Italy, Greece, Spain, France, and the Netherlands.
“The risk of spread is quite real. The virus is already present in all Mediterranean countries, and new cases of infection in humans and animals are observed in Northern European countries, for example in Belgium and the Netherlands,” Montarsi told RIA Novosti, speaking about the possibility of the fever spreading in Europe, including in its eastern part.
According to him, infected birds that migrate due to climate change can carry the virus to new territories. At the same time, as the expert noted, it is difficult to predict where exactly the fever will spread.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
West Nile fever could spread to new areas of Europe, including eastern Europe, due to migration of infected birds driven by climate change
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- How likely is West Nile fever to spread to Eastern European countries in the coming months?
- What preventive measures are recommended for countries where local cases of infection have not yet been recorded?
- How exactly does climate change affect the migration routes of birds that carry the virus?
