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Unprecedented increase of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease, Spain, summer 2020
- Lucía García San Miguel Rodríguez-Alarcón1 , Beatriz Fernández-Martínez2,3 , María José Sierra Moros1 , Ana Vázquez3,4 , Paula Julián Pachés5 , Elena García Villacieros6 , María Belén Gómez Martín6 , Jordi Figuerola Borras3,7 , Nicola Lorusso8 , Julian Mauro Ramos Aceitero9 , Elena Moro10 , Aránzazu de Celis10 , Salvador Oyonarte10 , Beatriz Mahillo11 , Luis José Romero González6 , María Paz Sánchez-Seco4 , Berta Suárez Rodríguez1 , Ulises Ameyugo Catalán12 , Santiago Ruiz Contreras13 , Mayte Pérez-Olmeda4 , , Fernando Simón Soria1
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 Ministry of Health, Coordinating Center of Health Alerts and Emergencies, Madrid, Spain 2 National Center for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministry of Science and Innovation, , Madrid, Spain 3 CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health, Madrid, Spain 4 National Microbiology Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministry of Science and Innovation 5 Consorcio Hospital General de Valencia, Valencia, Spain 6 Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Dirección General de Sanidad de la Producción Agraria, Madrid, Spain 7 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación biológica de Doñana, Seville, Spain 8 Junta de Andalucía, Servicio de Vigilancia y Salud laboral Seville, Spain 9 Junta de Extremadura, Subdireccion de Epidemiologia, Mérida-Badajoz, Spain 10 Ministry of Health, Scientific Committee on Transfusion Safety, Madrid, Spain 11 Organización Nacional de Trasplantes Madrid, Spain 12 Junta de Andalucía. Consejería de Salud y Familias. Dirección General de Salud Pública y Ordenación Farmacéutica. Subdirección de Protección de la Salud, Seville, Spain 13 Diputación de Hueva. Servicio de Control de Mosquitos, Huelva, SpainLucía García San Miguel Rodríguez-Alarcónlgarciasanmiguel mscbs.es
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Citation style for this article: García San Miguel Rodríguez-Alarcón Lucía, Fernández-Martínez Beatriz, Sierra Moros María José, Vázquez Ana, Julián Pachés Paula, García Villacieros Elena, Gómez Martín María Belén, Figuerola Borras Jordi, Lorusso Nicola, Ramos Aceitero Julian Mauro, Moro Elena, de Celis Aránzazu, Oyonarte Salvador, Mahillo Beatriz, Romero González Luis José, Sánchez-Seco María Paz, Suárez Rodríguez Berta , Ameyugo Catalán Ulises, Ruiz Contreras Santiago, Pérez-Olmeda Mayte, Simón Soria , Fernando . Unprecedented increase of West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease, Spain, summer 2020. Euro Surveill. 2021;26(19):pii=2002010. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.19.2002010 Received: 27 Nov 2020; Accepted: 22 Apr 2021
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Abstract
Cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in Spain increased in summer 2020. Here we report on this increase and the local, regional and national public health measures taken in response. We analysed data from regional surveillance networks and the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network, both for human and animal West Nile virus (WNV) infection. During the 2020 season, a total of 77 human cases of WNV infection (median age 65 years; 60% males) were detected in the south-west of Spain; 72 (94%) of these cases developed WNND, presenting as meningoencephalitis, seven of which were fatal. In the previous two decades, only six human cases of WNND were detected in Spain. Reduced activities for vector control this season, together with other factors, might have contributed to the massive increase. Public health measures including vector control, campaigns to raise awareness among physicians and the general population, and interventions to ensure the safety of donations of blood products, organs, cells and tissues were effective to reduce transmission. Going forward, maintenance of vector control activities and an update of the vector-borne diseases response plan in Spain is needed.
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