West Nile virus a threat to be reckoned with

With 100 instances of West Nile virus infections confirmed in nine regions of the country and two additional deaths within a week, the virus transmitted by common mosquitoes poses a significant threat, with experts appealing to the public to take necessary precautions.

"Comparing this year's cases with those of previous years in the same period of time, we estimate that we are moving at the highest levels and we are worried that the final tally will resemble that of 2018," said Dr Dimitris Paraskevis, professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of Athens and member of the Board of Directors of the National Public Health Organization (EODY).

By August 21, 76 of the 100 documented cases had developed central nervous system symptoms (encephalitis, meningitis, and/or acute flaccid paralysis). In the last week, there were 24 new cases and two...