AN 82-year-old man was the first person to die from West Nile virus in Andalucia this year as fears mount that the mosquito-borne disease could continue to spread across the region.
The patient, who had underlying health conditions, was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis – a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain and the membranes surrounding it – on July 27 while being treated at Sevilla’s Virgen de Valme Hospital.
Officials have placed 19 Andalucian municipalities – including Fuengirola and Las Lagunas-Mijas in Malaga province – under a health alert until August 24 after 17 people in Sevilla province were confirmed to have been infected this summer.
It comes after more than 20 people died from West Nile virus in 2024 during Spain’s worst outbreak of the disease on record, while no cases were detected in 2025.
West Nile virus mainly spreads to people through the bites of mosquitoes, which typically become infected after feeding on birds carrying the virus.
Most people develop no symptoms or only a mild flu-like illness, but a small proportion develop serious neurological conditions such as encephalitis or meningitis, which can be deadly.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine for West Nile virus in humans, with most cases resolving on their own.
Severe infections, however, require hospital treatment to manage symptoms and complications.
The disease does not normally spread from person to person.
Of the cases detected in Andalucia this year, 12 have been mild, while a further five patients have developed neurological symptoms.
Andalucian health officials are monitoring mosquitoes, animals and humans across the region in a bid to contain the disease’s spread.
The regional health council is urging people to take extra care to avoid mosquito bites – particularly vulnerable residents and those living in areas where large numbers of mosquitoes have been detected in recent weeks.
People are advised to use mosquito repellents, wear light-coloured clothes that cover as much of the body as possible, and avoid strong perfumes and scented soaps, which can attract mosquitoes.
At home, they should also use mosquito screens and insect repellents and avoid leaving unnecessary lights on.
Residents are also being urged to get rid of any standing water around their homes, as this is where mosquitoes breed.
Pools and other water containers should be properly maintained, authorities say, while water collecting in gardens, plant pots, toys and buckets should be emptied.
Farmers are being told to regularly change animals’ drinking water and check for other sources of stagnant water, including puddles, leaking taps and pipes, and poorly maintained water troughs.
The alert areas declared across Andalucia are: Fuengirola and Las Lagunas-Mijas in Malaga; Almensilla, Aznalcazar, Bollullos de la Mitacion, Castilblanco de los Arroyos, Coria del Rio, Constantina, Dos Hermanas, Gelves, La Puebla del Rio, Mairena del Aljarafe, Palomares del Rio, San Juan de Aznalfarache and Villamanrique de la Condesa in Sevilla; Torredonjimeno and Lopera in Jaen; and Salobreña in Granada.
Click here to read more Health News from The Olive Press.
