An 84-year-old man has become the fourth person to die from West Nile virus in Andalucia this year.

The victim, a resident of La Puebla del Rio in Sevilla province, died in the early hours of Friday after developing the neuroinvasive form of West Nile fever.

He had underlying health conditions and was receiving treatment at Sevilla’s Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, according to the Junta de Andalucia.

All four people who have died from the virus were elderly and had pre-existing health problems.

The first victim was an 82-year-old man from Dos Hermanas who died on August 5.

An 89-year-old resident of Guadalema de los Quintero, in Utrera, died on August 27, while the third victim was an 81-year-old man from Tomares who was exposed to the virus in Mazagon, Huelva.

Health officials have extended La Puebla del Rio’s designation as a West Nile alert area for another four weeks, until October 31.

The status requires intensified monitoring of mosquitoes, animals and possible human infections, alongside stronger public-information campaigns and additional mosquito-control treatments.

A total of 21 Andalucian municipalities or districts are currently classified as alert areas, including ten in Sevilla province and Alhaurin de la Torre in Malaga.

Andalucia has confirmed 71 human cases of West Nile fever during the current season.

Of these, 40 were classified as mild and 31 as serious, including the four fatalities.

Thirty-five patients required hospital treatment and three remain admitted. The remaining patients have recovered or experienced a favourable progression.

Health authorities have tested 808 people to rule out West Nile infection and screened for mosquito-borne viruses in 192 cases of viral meningitis.