US Embassy issues health alert regarding West Nile virus

The US Embassy in Athens has issued a health alert regarding the West Nile virus to American citizens living in Greece or intending to visit it.

The warning mentions that five people have already died in Greece after contracting the virus, all of them over the age of 70. This number does not take into account the six deaths this week, which brings the total to 11.

The embassy urges US citizens to "take preventative measures, such as using mosquito repellent when outdoors, wearing long pants/long sleeves, closing doors and windows or using screens, cleaning up mosquito breeding areas (such as standing water in flower pots), and keeping grasses and bushes trimmed."

They should also keep an eye on local media, it said.