About West Nile Virus

Originating from Africa, West Nile virus was first isolated in Europe in 1963.

It wasn’t until 1999, however, that West Nile virus caught the public eye with an outbreak in the United States. Originally discovered in humans, the disease spread rapidly across the United States, affecting horses as well as people. At the height of the 2002 outbreak, there were 15,000 known and reported cases in horses alone. West Nile virus is now an annual threat to horses, and people, in the United States where the disease is now endemic.

In Europe the frequency of disease outbreaks has also increased in recent years. However, any significant outbreaks were restricted to either the human or equine population but never both simultaneously. That is until 2008...

In 2008 an outbreak in Italy saw cases in both horses and people. With 77 horses and 2 people reported to be infected; so mirroring the situation experienced in the United States.

Could this be the start of the spread of a West Nile virus outbreak across Europe similar in scale to that experienced in the United States?