So far, 26 people have been diagnosed with the disease and one person has died.
In 2018, 26 people in Croatia have been diagnosed in the West Nile fever, and one person has died, reports Index.hr on September 3, 2018.
As confirmed by the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ), in July and August 2018, during the summer season which is the period of intensive development of mosquitoes, 26 patients were diagnosed and one person died.
Most patients had their central nervous systems attacked by the disease, while those with a milder version of the illness had less severe symptoms. Some of the patients have recovered and have already been released from hospitals.
According to the HZJZ, two people out of 26 patients in Croatia were infected in neighbouring states, while for two patients it is not possible to determine whether they have acquired the infection in Croatia or in neighbouring countries. Most patients have been infected in Croatia, mostly in the northwestern and eastern parts of the country.
The first Croatian victim this year is an elderly man from Beli Manastir in the Baranja region, who also had an accompanying chronic illness.
This is not the first death case caused by the Western Nile virus in Croatia. According to epidemiologists, a few cases were recorded in previous years.
The HZJZ has issued the following press release: “Since last week, the Croatian Public Health Institute has received reports about ten new patients who have the Western Nile virus, which is a continuation of the spread of the disease. We have a total of 26 laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death.
Based on the available data, all new patients have been infected in the northwestern and eastern parts of Croatia (Osijek-Baranja County, Vukovar-Srijem County, the City of Zagreb, Karlovac County and Varaždin County).
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, by August 30 there were 710 cases of Western Nile virus infection in Europe (327 cases in Italy, 213 in Serbia, 147 in Greece, 117 in Romania, 96 in Hungary).
The most common way of spreading the disease is via the Culex mosquito, but other types of mosquitoes can also transmit the infection. The transmission risk in an area depends on the presence of the virus, the host in which the virus multiplies, on the mosquitoes and the immunity of the local population.
During the summer months, when the disease is often diagnosed, when physicians exam patients with symptoms which may indicate the West Nile fever, they must bear in mind the possibility of this disease being present.”
Translated from Index.hr (reported by Nenad Jarić Dauenhauer).
