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Belgium Reports First Local West Nile Virus Cases, One Hospitalized
(MENAFN) Belgian health authorities confirmed Friday that five probable cases of locally acquired West Nile virus have surfaced in the country's north for the first time, with one patient hospitalized, the Belgian Health Department said.
The infections turned up in Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, two provinces in the Flanders region where the virus has already been found circulating among birds and horses, according to a news agency. Confirmatory testing is still ongoing.
Four of the five patients developed neurological symptoms, and one required hospital care. Health officials stressed that the overall risk of infection and illness remains low.
West Nile virus spreads primarily through mosquito bites. Roughly 80% of those infected show no symptoms at all, while most who do fall ill experience relatively mild effects — fever, headache, muscle aches, or fatigue. A severe form of the disease strikes about 1% of infected people, with older adults and those with compromised immune systems facing the greatest danger.
Officials said the appearance of local human cases wasn't a surprise, given that the virus had already been detected circulating among birds and mosquitoes in the region. "We expect additional cases until the end of the mosquito season in October. The risk diminishes as days grow shorter and temperatures drop," said Health Department spokeswoman Anneleen De Sadeleer.
She added that the rise in detected infections may partly reflect expanded testing and sharper awareness among physicians, on top of the virus's wider spread across Europe.
The department has briefed general practitioners, hospitals, and other healthcare providers on the current situation and its symptoms, and has also alerted care homes and assisted-living facilities in Antwerp and Flemish Brabant on how to shield residents from mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active at dusk and after dark. The virus does not spread directly between people, nor from horses to humans.
The infections turned up in Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, two provinces in the Flanders region where the virus has already been found circulating among birds and horses, according to a news agency. Confirmatory testing is still ongoing.
Four of the five patients developed neurological symptoms, and one required hospital care. Health officials stressed that the overall risk of infection and illness remains low.
West Nile virus spreads primarily through mosquito bites. Roughly 80% of those infected show no symptoms at all, while most who do fall ill experience relatively mild effects — fever, headache, muscle aches, or fatigue. A severe form of the disease strikes about 1% of infected people, with older adults and those with compromised immune systems facing the greatest danger.
Officials said the appearance of local human cases wasn't a surprise, given that the virus had already been detected circulating among birds and mosquitoes in the region. "We expect additional cases until the end of the mosquito season in October. The risk diminishes as days grow shorter and temperatures drop," said Health Department spokeswoman Anneleen De Sadeleer.
She added that the rise in detected infections may partly reflect expanded testing and sharper awareness among physicians, on top of the virus's wider spread across Europe.
The department has briefed general practitioners, hospitals, and other healthcare providers on the current situation and its symptoms, and has also alerted care homes and assisted-living facilities in Antwerp and Flemish Brabant on how to shield residents from mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active at dusk and after dark. The virus does not spread directly between people, nor from horses to humans.
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