Greece urgent travel warning as horror illness hits holiday hotspots

There have been 180 confirmed cases of West Nile Virus

An urgent warning has been issued to holidaymakers visiting Greece after a deadly virus outbreak hit parts of the country. West Nile Virus is thought to have claimed the lives of 27 people in Greece.

Infections have been reported across the country. The deaths took place before September 18 this year, according to reports on the Keep Talking Greece website.

People who have died were between the ages of 61 and 92, the Greek National Public Health Organization EODY said. A total of 180 cases of West Nile Virus infection have been diagnosed in Greece during the outbreak.

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The virus is spread to humans by infected mosquitos. There are 26 Greek areas which have seen cases of West Nile Virus as of September 25.

This includes the Regional Units of Achaia, Aitoloakarnania, Anatoliki Attiki, Argolida, Arkadia, Arta, Preveza, Chalkidiki, Drama, Evros, Fthiotida and Ileia. Beyond Greece’s borders, 18 countries in Europe have reported cases of West Nile virus infection as of September 25.

Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Türkiye have reported cases of the deadly disease. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has raised concerns over the outbreak.

In Israel, there have been 870 confirmed cases reported and 62 deaths as of August 22. Most people who become infected with West Nile Virus do not have symptoms, the Foreign Office Travel Health Pro website said.

Patients develop symptoms including fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, and skin rash in about 20 percent of cases. Symptoms can develop into a more serious illness including meningitis and encephalitis.

Risk factors for developing this severe form of the illness include age, underlying illnesses such as cancer, hypertension, kidney disease and genetic factors. Of the 180 reported Greek cases, 132 of people had symptoms involving the central nervous system, 48 cases presented with mild or no symptoms and 27 of the patients died.