Number of West Nile Virus Victims in Greece Grows to 31 - Decease Control Center

ATHENS (Sputnik) - The number of people who died as a result of the West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in Greece increased to 31, with a total of 271 people having been infected with the decease so far, the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention (HCDCP) said on Saturday.

Accordng to the HCDCP, during the week from October 20 to 26 as many as 37 individuals acquired the West Nile virus, while four people died of it.

READ MORE: Dozens Perish as Deadly West Nile Virus Invades Greece — Health Authorities

The West Nile virus was for the first time detected in Greece in 2010. The decease claimed lives of about 80 people in the country in 2010-2014. In 2015-2016, no WNV cases were reported, while in 2017 another outbreak of the fever resulted in the deaths of five people. Apart from Greece, the WNV cases have also been recorded in eight European countries.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes such symptoms as fever, headache, lethargy, muscle pain and nausea. The WNV might injure the central nervous system and result in such deceases as encephalitis, meningitis and paralysis.