Europe sets new records for mosquito-borne West Nile virus, chikungunya disease: ECDC

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Europe is experiencing longer and more intense transmission seasons for mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus (WNV) infection and chikungunya virus disease, according to a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Wednesday.

The report blamed climatic and environmental factors such as rising temperatures, longer summer seasons, milder winters, and changes in rainfall patterns for the shift.

These conditions combine to create a favourable environment for mosquitoes to thrive and transmit viruses.

“Europe is entering a new phase -- where longer, more widespread and more intense transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is becoming the new normal,” said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, ECDC Director.

“ECDC is working closely with all Member States to provide tailored support and timely public health guidance to strengthen Europe’s response,” she added.

The report showed that the mosquito that can spread the chikungunya virus (Aedes albopictus) is now established in 16 European countries and 369 regions, up from just 114 regions a decade ago.

Combined with increasing levels of international travel, this spread makes local outbreaks more likely.

Europe has seen 27 chikungunya outbreaks so far in 2025, a new record for the continent.

For the first time, a locally acquired chikungunya virus disease case has been reported in France’s Alsace region -- an exceptional occurrence at this latitude, highlighting the continued northward expansion of the transmission risk.

Further, the distribution of West Nile virus cases in Europe continues to shift, and over the past decade, the infection has been detected in new areas every year. This year, for the first time, infections have been reported in the Italian provinces of Latina and Frosinone, and Sălaj County in Romania.

Europe has also recorded the highest number of West Nile virus cases in three years. ECDC expects infections to continue rising, likely reaching a seasonal peak in August or September.

“As the mosquito-borne disease landscape evolves, more people in Europe will be at risk in the future. This makes prevention more important than ever, both through coordinated public health action and personal protection measures. There is an urgent need to strengthen and scale up efficient, environmentally friendly mosquito control interventions,” said Dr Céline Gossner, Head of Section, Food-, Water-, Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases at ECDC.

--IANS

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