Ukraine reports 88 West Nile virus cases with 11 deaths since July 2024

Ukraine faces a growing threat from West Nile virus, according to Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Medical Officer of Ukraine. Health authorities reported 88 cases and 11 deaths since the beginning of July 2024.

Health officials are particularly concerned about the lack of specific treatment or vaccination against West Nile virus. Symptoms of West Nile fever typically appear 2-3 days after a mosquito bite and can include fever, headache, and other flu-like symptoms. Health authorities advise anyone experiencing these symptoms, particularly after a known mosquito bite, to seek medical attention immediately.

The mosquito-bite-borne virus has been detected in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, with isolated cases reported in Poltava and Cherkassy Oblasts. On October 8, 2024, a state of emergency was declared in a municipality in Cherkasy Oblast due to an outbreak of West Nile fever, resulting in one person’s death.

In an interview with the BBC’s Ukrainian Service on October 13, Kuzin warned that the virus was endemic in Ukraine and was likely to continue to spread.

“West Nile fever was, is and will be. We probably have to get used to the fact that this fever will become even more common in Ukraine,“, he explained.

Climate change plays a significant role in the spread of the virus. Kuzin explained:

“We have a certain temperature shift in the regions of the country. If earlier we talked about the spread of West Nile fever in Kherson, Odessa Oblasts and Crimea, now this is favored in a large part of central Ukraine.”

The virus is transmitted primarily through birds, which serve as natural reservoirs, and then through mosquito bites to humans and animals. Ukraine lies on several migratory bird routes, increasing the risk of virus transmission.

The disease is associated with relatively high mortality rates. Kuzin emphasized,

“The main countermeasure is essentially to limit walking outdoors when there are mosquitoes without repellent.”

Preventive measures recommended by health authorities include using repellents, wearing protective clothing, installing window screens and avoiding stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. Kuzin emphasized that the disease cannot be transmitted from person to person.

The West Nile virus threat in Ukraine is part of a broader global concern. At the end of August, the well-known US immunologist Anthony Fauci was hospitalized with West Nile virus and described it as “Harrowing experience” in a New York Times essay, according to Newsweek.

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