Cyprus has recorded its first West Nile virus case of 2026, with a 70-year-old man in serious condition and receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Nicosia General Hospital.
In comments to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), infectious diseases specialist Aristos Aristodemou said the patient falls within the small percentage of people infected with West Nile virus who can develop a severe infection affecting the central nervous system.
Such severe cases are more commonly seen among older or immunocompromised people, although this is not always the case.
Most infections cause no symptoms
Aristodemou explained that most West Nile virus infections are asymptomatic.
A smaller percentage of infected people may develop flu-like symptoms, while only a very small proportion develop serious neurological illness.
He stressed that West Nile virus is transmitted exclusively through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The virus is not transmitted from person to person.
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