Netherlands reports 44 West Nile cases; five infected patients have died
RIVM reported 44 West Nile virus cases in the Netherlands in 2026, with five deaths among diagnosed patients, The People’s Tribune reported.
The People's Tribune reported that the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has recorded 44 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in the Netherlands in 2026. Five people diagnosed with the virus have died, according to RIVM.
RIVM added 16 patients to its total in an update on Thursday, the newspaper reported. One of those newly reported patients died. The institute said all 16 latest infections were acquired through bites from infected mosquitoes.
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Cases have been reported in six provinces, according to RIVM. Zuid-Holland had 23 cases, Utrecht had 10, Noord-Holland and Noord-Brabant had four each, Gelderland had two and Overijssel had one. Most infections were identified after patients were admitted to hospital with symptoms.
The World Health Organization says about 80 per cent of people infected with West Nile virus have no symptoms. About one in 150 infected people can develop serious illness affecting the central nervous system.
There is no human vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for West Nile virus, according to the World Health Organization. The organisation recommends avoiding mosquito bites, including by using insect repellent, covering arms and legs, using window and door screens, and reducing standing water around homes.
RIVM also reported 136 positive horses, 171 infected birds and four positive mosquito pools in the Netherlands this year. The institute said specialists are monitoring the virus and assessing whether additional measures are needed.