Health authorities have expanded their West Nile virus alert after infected mosquitoes were detected in four more municipalities in Sevilla province.
The Junta de Andalucia has declared Almensilla, Aznalcazar, Gelves and Mairena del Aljarafe as official alert areas after surveillance traps detected mosquitoes carrying the virus.
The latest additions bring the total number of Andalucian municipalities where West Nile virus circulation has been detected this year to 11.
The four towns join Pulpi (Almeria), Torredonjimeno (Jaen) and the Seville municipalities of Palomares del Rio, Constantina, Coria del Rio and La Puebla del Rio, where the virus has already been identified.
Although infected mosquitoes were also detected in Benacazon, authorities said the trap was located more than 1.5km from residential areas, meaning an official alert was not required.
Under Andalucia’s West Nile Virus Surveillance Programme, the four newly designated municipalities will remain on alert until at least August 14.
During this period, authorities will intensify mosquito monitoring, increase surveillance of humans and animals, and step up public awareness campaigns urging residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
Local councils have also been ordered to expand mosquito control measures, including treating breeding sites and areas within 1.5 kilometres of residential zones where larvae or adult mosquitoes are likely to be present.
So far this year, Andalucia has recorded just one human case of West Nile virus – a mild infection diagnosed in a resident of Palomares del Rio.
Health officials say laboratory testing has been carried out on more than 220 people, while 90 patients with viral meningitis have also been screened for mosquito-borne diseases. No infections have so far been detected in horses or wild birds.
Mosquito monitoring has identified infected insects in 11 municipalities, while experts have also reported rising mosquito numbers across several parts of Seville province.
High densities of female mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus have recently been recorded in Coria del Rio, Isla Mayor, Bollullos de la Mitacion, Los Palacios y Villafranca, Villamanrique de la Condesa, Palomares del Rio, La Puebla del Rio and Benacazon. Intermediate mosquito densities have also been detected in Gerena, Almensilla and Bailen.
The Junta is urging residents, particularly older people and those with underlying health conditions, to take precautions against mosquito bites.
Advice includes using insect repellent, wearing long, light-coloured clothing, installing mosquito screens on windows, avoiding heavily scented perfumes and soaps, and eliminating standing water from gardens, buckets, plant pots and swimming pools where mosquitoes can breed.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
