In a follow-up on the West Nile virus situation in Greece, since the beginning of 2025 through July 30, a total of seventeen (17) domestic cases of West Nile virus infection have been diagnosed and investigated in Greece, of which fourteen (14) cases presented Central Nervous System manifestations (CNS, encephalitis and/or meningitis and/or acute flaccid paralysis) and three (3) cases had mild manifestations/no CNS manifestations.
During the last week, ten new domestic cases were diagnosed/reported. One imported case of infection has also been recorded in a patient exposed to another country abroad (Serbia). No patient death has been recorded with infection from the virus.
The first recorded case of the 2025 period reported the onset of symptoms on 22 June 2025 (week 26/2025).
A bite from an infected mosquito can spread the West Nile virus. There is no evidence that West Nile virus spreads from animal to person or from person to person except in rare cases through blood product transfusion, tissue transplantation, or mother to baby.
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Most people infected with West Nile virus – about 80%- will not develop illness. Twenty percent of infected people develop a typically mild form of the disease (West Nile fever), which may include fever, headache, body aches, and occasionally a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. Only about one out of 150 people infected with West Nile virus will develop the more severe form of the disease (West Nile neuroinvasive disease), which may affect the brain and spinal cord. The signs and symptoms of severe disease may include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
The incubation period of West Nile virus in humans is two to 14 days. Signs and symptoms of mild disease may last a few days. Signs and symptoms of severe disease may last several weeks or months, although neurological effects may be permanent. Rarely, death can occur.