MALAGA province has recorded its first human case of West Nile virus this year after a 69-year-old man was admitted to hospital with the disease.
The victim, from the inland town of Pizarra, is currently being treated at the Hospital Universitatio Virgen de la Victoria in Malaga city in a serious condition.
The case is one of two new confirmed infections in Andalucia, alongside another in Almonte, Huelva, bringing the total number of human infections recorded in the region so far this summer to 62.
Of these, 38 have presented mild illness and 24 have developed neuroinvasive symptoms, which affects the brain and nervous system.
A total of 27 patients have required hospital treatment, with ten currently in hospitals across Andalucia.
READ MORE: West Nile virus outbreak claims second life in Andalucia as cases edge toward Malaga
Two people have died.
Up until now, the majority of cases have been located in Sevilla province, with Malaga avoiding the brunt of the outbreak.
Currently, 32 Andalucian municipalities are on alert for the disease, requiring increased monitoring of mosquitos and animal and human cases.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease commonly found across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and western Asia.
The virus is spread primarily through mosquito bites, which become carriers after feeding on infected birds.
The good news is that around 80 per cent of people infected never develop any symptoms.
Of the remaining cases, most experience a mild flu-like illness called West Nile fever, with symptoms including fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea and, in some cases, a skin rash or swollen glands.
Only a small proportion of infections become serious.
The WHO estimates that around one in every 150 infected people develops severe neurological complications such as meningitis or encephalitis, which can cause confusion, muscle weakness, seizures, paralysis or, in rare cases, death.
Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of developing severe illness.
Symptoms typically appear between three and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
There is currently no vaccine available for humans.
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