Holiday warning issued as parasite virus found in Spanish and Italian hotspots for tourists

Holidays can quickly turn into a nightmare if you find yourself face to face with a venomous plant, or a deadly virus. This is why authorities have warned tourists to be careful when visiting Spain or Italy this summer, as two people have been infected with a lethal virus. Here's what you need to know.

Two people infected with the West Nile virus

A person in Seville, Spain, and another one in Modena, Italy, have been diagnosed with the West Nile virus. This is a mosquito-borne virus which does not cause any symptoms in the majority of people, but about 20% of those infected eventually experience a West Nile fever. These people have been found to suffer from aching bodies, vomiting and skin rashes. One in 150 people infected with the virus have also developed severe neurological conditions, which can trigger seizures, as well as muscle weakness and paralysis, according to the World Health Organisation.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control issued a warning as two people were infected in touristic hotspots in both Spain and Italy, popular destinations for British tourists. The first patient from Seville first noticed his symptoms in the beginning of March. The ECDC explained:

Although an isolated case, it highlights that the transmission of West Nile virus can occur very early in the year, likely due to suitable climatic conditions.

The ECDC warns of a potential outbreak

The person infected in Italy was infected elsewhere, in Oman. The virus has also been detected in some mosquitoes in the Chieti province in June 2024, though no human cases have been reported in this region so far. Earlier this year, experts found mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus in 26 European countries. In June 2024, the ECDC explained they were seeing a spike in mosquito-borne deadly viruses such as West Nile, dengue, chikungunya and the Zika virus. The ECDC director, Andrea Ammon, explained:

Europe is already seeing how climate change is creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquitoes to spread into previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases such as dengue.

The increase of travel around the globe also increases the risk of developing viruses that previously didn't exist in European countries. Andrea Ammon adds:

Increased international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases, and inevitably also the risk of local outbreaks.

Read more:

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‘Living Nostradamus’ Athos Salomé has predicted that a new virus will sweep the globe in 2024

Swine flu horror: Here’s what we know about UK’s first case in a human and the virus itself

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The Sun: BUZZ ALERT Holiday warning as fatal paralysing virus that triggers seizures is found in Spanish and Italian hotspots