A person has died in a Dutch hospital after contracting West Nile virus in the Netherlands, the country’s public health institute RIVM said on Wednesday.
The death comes after RIVM reported the country’s first locally acquired West Nile virus infection since 2020 last week. The institute said the number of infections believed to have been contracted within the Netherlands has now risen to three.
It was not immediately clear whether the person who died was among the cases previously announced, and RIVM provided no further details about the patient.
West Nile virus is primarily transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Most infections cause mild or no symptoms, but the World Health Organization says around one in 150 infected people can develop severe and potentially life-threatening illness.
Cases have been increasing in parts of Europe this summer, including Greece and Italy. The WHO has warned that warmer temperatures are creating conditions that allow mosquitoes carrying the virus to remain active for longer periods and spread across wider areas.
Despite the latest cases, RIVM said the risk of contracting West Nile virus within the Netherlands remains “very unlikely.”