Fifth West Nile virus death reported in Netherlands as 16 new cases confirmed
Another person in the Netherlands has died after being infected with West Nile virus, while the number of new cases has risen slightly. Five people who were confirmed to have contracted West Nile virus have died in the Netherlands this year. However, the virus is not necessarily considered the direct cause of their deaths.
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported 16 new infections over the past week. All of those patients contracted the virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito, according to the RIVM.
There have now been 44 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in the Netherlands this year. Most infections were identified after patients were hospitalized with symptoms. Zuid-Holland has reported the highest number of cases, with 23, while Utrecht has recorded 10. Cases have also been confirmed in Noord-Holland, Noord-Brabant, Gelderland and Overijssel.
At least one of the fatalities occurred in a patient who contracted the virus through a blood transfusion rather than a mosquito bite. The patient received blood from a donor who was unknowingly infected. Following this incident, the Dutch blood bank organization Sanquin initiated universal West Nile virus testing for all blood donations across nine provinces.
Most people infected with West Nile virus do not become ill. Around one in five infections causes symptoms, typically fever, headaches, and muscle aches resembling those of the flu, the RIVM stated. In about 1 percent of cases, however, the infection can lead to severe illness, including inflammation of the brain or the membranes surrounding it.
West Nile virus circulates naturally among birds and can be passed to humans by mosquitoes that have bitten an infected bird. It cannot spread directly from one person to another. Horses can also contract the virus: 48 new infections were recorded among horses last week, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), bringing the total to 136.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) says around 80 percent of infected horses do not develop symptoms. Horses that do become sick may suffer from lethargy, fever and a loss of appetite. Severe infections can cause paralysis, in which cases euthanasia may sometimes be necessary, according to the NVWA.
Authorities are also testing birds and mosquitoes in different parts of the country to track the spread of West Nile virus. Tests on birds produced 71 positive results last week. Mosquitoes are tested in groups, known as mosquito pools, and the virus has so far been detected in four of them: two in Zuid-Holland and one each in Gelderland and Noord-Brabant.
"Doctors, vets, virologists, epidemiologists and ecologists are collaborating closely to effectively monitor the development and spread of the West Nile virus and take appropriate measures," the RIVM said on it's website.