Nicosia: The first case of West Nile virus in Cyprus for 2026 has been identified, Health Ministry officials told CNA on Thursday. Infectious disease specialist Aristos Aristodemou said that the patient, a 70-year-old man, is in serious condition and is hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the General Hospital of Nicosia.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Aristodemou explained that this is a case that falls within the very small percentage of patients infected with the West Nile virus who may develop a severe infection of the central nervous system. These patients are usually elderly or immunocompromised individuals. He added that the majority of infections from this virus are asymptomatic, while a small percentage may present flu-like symptoms. Aristodemou clarified that this virus can only be transmitted through mosquito bites, not from one person to another.
The Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, Elisavet Constantinou, told CNA that the Ministry has protocols and procedures for managing cases of infected individuals. She said that spraying against mosquitoes follows the identification of any case, to deal with the mosquitoes that carry the virus. Aristodemou explained that spraying takes place throughout the year, but is applied more intensively after tracing the areas where the patient may have been infected.
West Nile virus cases in Cyprus remain sporadic, Constantinou said, adding that the situation is not cause for particular concern and there is no reason for panic, despite the outbreak observed in countries across Europe. Constantinou noted that the virus has been monitored in Cyprus since 2016 and the recorded cases are few, with the exception of 2019, when 24 cases were recorded, and 2023, when nine cases were recorded, while there were years with zero cases, such as 2020, 2021, and 2025.
Furthermore, Aristodemou said that a case was to be expected, since the mosquito that can transmit the West Nile virus is endemic in Cyprus. He further explained that the Ministry's services are on alert for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases that are not endemic to Cyprus, such as Dengue fever, Zika, and Chikungunya. Constantinou stressed that it is important for citizens, as well as travelers going to areas where there is an outbreak of the virus, to take insect repellent measures.