SRINAGAR: A 70-year-old man has died from West Nile fever in Israel, marking the country’s first reported death from the virus this year, the Health Ministry and Environmental Protection Ministry said in a joint statement on Saturday.
The man developed symptoms in mid-July and died after being hospitalised with complications from the infection, according to the statement.
The number of confirmed West Nile virus cases in Israel has risen to 10, with all infections diagnosed in recent weeks, the ministries said. Three patients remain hospitalised and are receiving treatment.
As quoted by ANTARA, the two ministries said mosquitoes carrying the virus had been detected in several areas of central Israel, including Tel Aviv-Yafo, prompting calls for local authorities and communities to step up preventive measures.
The ministries urged people to remove stagnant water from around homes and other areas, use mosquito repellent and report potential mosquito breeding sites or other related hazards.
Israel recorded a major outbreak of West Nile fever in 2024, when more than 930 cases were confirmed and 73 people died. Health authorities attributed the outbreak to warmer and wetter conditions that created favourable breeding conditions for mosquitoes. Four cases were reported last year, with no deaths.
West Nile fever is mainly transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Most infected people develop mild symptoms or none at all, but the disease can occasionally cause severe complications, including encephalitis and meningitis, which can result in paralysis, brain damage or death.
