Three cases of West Nile virus infection identified in Northern Cyprus

The Ministry of Health of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) reported that three people in Northern Cyprus tested positive for West Nile virus. Two of them are being treated in hospital, while the third case was detected incidentally during a routine blood test.

According to the ministry, the two hospitalised patients had respiratory symptoms, a sore throat, a high fever and severe weakness. Their condition has improved compared with the previous day, and there is no threat to their lives. The third patient had no complaints: the virus was detected during a routine examination, and he is currently under medical observation.

West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Culex and is not transmitted from person to person. In approximately 80% of those infected, the disease causes no symptoms, while around 20% experience it like flu.

Typical symptoms include a high fever, severe headache, weakness, joint and muscle pain, vomiting, a rash and swollen lymph nodes. In fewer than 1% of patients, severe neurological complications, including meningitis, develop; older people and patients with weakened immune systems are at higher risk.

There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for this infection, and care is limited to supportive therapy. The Ministry of Health recommends installing mosquito screens on windows and doors, changing the water in containers once a week, removing standing water from gardens and balconies, wearing light-coloured long-sleeved clothing at dawn and dusk, and using insect repellent outdoors.

Meanwhile, the Lefkoşa Municipality has stepped up treatment of areas where mosquitoes breed. According to Mayor Mehmet Harmancı, seven teams are working in the city: they inspect streambeds, pools of standing water, abandoned swimming pools and drainage grates. More than 10,000 breeding sites are treated in summer and more than 20,000 in winter. Residents are asked to remove old tyres, empty flower pots and other containers that collect water from their yards.