Italy reports over 650 West Nile virus cases as warming extends mosquito season across Europe

ROME — Italian health authorities reported more than 650 West Nile virus infections this year, roughly half of Europe’s total, as rising temperatures extend mosquito activity and the virus’s reach across the country.
Higher temperatures linked to climate change help mosquitoes reproduce and prolong the transmission season, increasing the risk of human infection, said Antonino Bella, a researcher at Italy’s National Institute of Health. The virus, endemic in Italy since 2020, now appears every summer and early fall, with about 80% of cases asymptomatic and a small minority developing severe neurological complications, primarily among older adults and those with underlying conditions.
Warmer weather has expanded the virus’s geographic spread, with areas once largely unaffected now reporting infections. Bella noted that transmission can sometimes last as late as November. The Netherlands has recorded over two dozen cases this year, its first since 2020, including several deaths, according to its public health institute.
A Belgian research team visited Italy’s ISS in May to study its surveillance system after locally acquired cases emerged. Marc-Alain Widdowson, who leads the WHO Europe office’s Pandemic Threats Division, said warming weather will expand the replication period for the virus and its mosquito vectors in more countries. “A longer mosquito season means the vectors can survive for longer,” he added .
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