The Ministry of Health has reported the first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) this year in Moldova. Caught by a 49-year-old man, the infection was imported after he traveled to Italy in late July, where he was bitten by mosquitoes.
The man is being treated in hospital and his condition is satisfactory, the Ministry of Health said.
This is the second WNV case overall in Moldova, after the first was recorded in 2019.
According to the latest available statistics from the European Center for Disease Control, in 2024, eight European countries, including Italy, reported 69 human cases of WNV. In Romania, a man from Suceava recently died from the virus.
The Ministry notes that the West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, and not from person to person. The likelihood of someone getting sick from a single bite is low. Usually, the virus manifests as flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, muscle weakness, fever and intense headache, and skin rashes on the chest. Most human cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-healing. Elderly and immunocompromised people are at greater risk of developing severe forms of the disease, including neurological forms such as stiff neck muscles, vomiting, photophobia and even seizures. When specific symptoms appear, people are urged to see a doctor immediately.
