Number struck down by West Nile virus in Andalucia rising

THE number of people in Andalucia struck down by a mosquito-borne virus with the potential to cause neurological disease has risen to 33, according to the latest reports.

At the last count there were 26 people in hospital in cases associated with West Nile virus, eight of whom are in intensive care, information from the regional Health and Families ministry shows.

All those affected are residents of Puebla del Rio and Coria del Rio, located next to the River Guadalquivir marshlands in Seville province.

It was also reported that the Junta has detected four cases of the disease in horses this month, two in Huelva province, one in Jerez de la Frontera in Cadiz and two in Dos Hermanas in Seville.

Junta de Andalucia president Juanma Moreno said on Wednesday that the Agriculture, Fishing and Regional Development department has now authorised the fumigation of the zones associated with the reproduction of the mosquito which transmits the virus.

He said this had not been carried out earlier due to limitations related to public health and the environment, but that any issues on this front have not been sorted out.

The World Health Organisation says that while 80 per cent of people infected by West Nile virus don’t show any symptoms it can cause serious neurological disease in humans and severe disease and death in horses.

The last time there were registered cases of the disease in Spain was four years ago, when there were three cases

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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