9 Deaths in Netherlands from West Nile Virus

Amsterdam (Reuters) – The Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said four more people had died in the country from West Nile virus, raising the death toll to nine over recent weeks amid a rise in cases across Europe.

The first infection in the Netherlands in six years was recorded last August, bringing the total number of cases in the country since then to 56.

The institute said the outbreak had likely peaked, as the number of new infections had declined in recent weeks.

The World Health Organization said the virus is usually spread through mosquito bites, and that infection can progress to severe illness in about one in 150 cases.

The organization noted that rising temperatures give mosquitoes more time and space to spread West Nile virus across Europe, which has experienced an unprecedented series of heatwaves this year.