Ihor Kuzin is the Deputy Minister of Public Health and Chief Sanitary Physician of Ukraine. He said that since July 2024 there have been 88 cases of West Nile Virus and 11 deaths.
Health officials are concerned about the lack a specific treatment or vaccine against West Nile virus. West Nile virus symptoms usually appear 2 to 3 days after a mosquito biting. They may include fever, headaches, and other flu like symptoms. Health officials urge anyone who experiences these symptoms, particularly after a mosquito bite, to seek immediate medical attention.
The virus, transmitted by mosquito bites, was detected in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast and Poltava, with a single case reported in Cherkasy and Poltava oblasts. A state of emergency was declared on 8 October 2024 in a community located in Cherkasy Oblast because of the West Nile virus outbreak. One person died.
In an interview on BBC’s Ukrainian Service, Kuzin warned in October that the virus was endemic in Ukraine and likely to spread.
“West Nile virus was, is, will be.” “We probably need to get accustomed to the fact that there will be more cases of this fever in Ukraine,” he said.
Climate change plays a major role in the spread of the virus. Kuzin explained,
“We are seeing a change in the temperature across the country.” If we had previously discussed the spread of West Nile Fever in Kherson, Odesa Oblasts, and Crimea, a large area of central Ukraine has now become favorable for it.”
The virus is transmitted primarily through birds that serve as natural reservoirs. It can then be transmitted to humans and animals by mosquito bites. Ukraine is located on several bird migration routes, which increases the risk of virus spread.
The disease is associated to a relatively high mortality rate. Kuzin emphasized,
“The main countermeasure, in essence is to limit walking outside when there are a lot of mosquitoes, without repellents.”
Health authorities recommend using repellents, wearing protective clothes, installing window screens, avoiding standing waters where mosquitoes breed, and avoiding standing or stagnant water. Kuzin emphasized that the disease is not transmitted from person to person.
The West Nile threat in Ukraine is part a larger global concern. Newsweek reports that in late August, US immunologist Anthony Fauci, who is a prominent US expert on West Nile virus was hospitalized. He described it as a ‘harrowing experience’ in an essay published by the New York Times.
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