A fifth person infected with West Nile virus has now died, as the number of Dutch infections jumps from 28 to 44 in just a week.
Worryingly, it’s the steepest jump in a single week since the virus was first detected in a Utrecht blood donor this August.
According to the latest update from the RIVM, all 16 new patients contracted the virus through the bite of an infected mosquito, with most diagnosed after hospitalisation. The latest fatality was one of the infected in this group.
Here’s where infections are rising fastest
South Holland is now the hardest-hit province, accounting for more than half of all human infections (23). Utrecht follows with 10, North Holland and North Brabant with 4 cases each, Gelderland with 2, and Overijssel with 1.
Previously, it was reported that a woman caught the virus in Drenthe, but this is incorrect. She was infected while on holiday in Southern Europe, where West Nile virus is more prevalent.
Animal infections also see an uptick
Last week alone, a whopping 71 birds tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infected avians to 171. Of those tested since the outbreak began, 61 were found dead.
Unlike humans, birds, especially those in the corvid family (such as crows, ravens, magpies, and jays), have a strikingly “high mortality” rate for the West Nile virus.
Most infected birds were found in North Brabant and North Holland, with just a few cases in Utrecht, Gelderland, and Flevoland.
Infections in horses are also rising, with cases jumping by 48 in just a week, bringing the total number of cases to 136.
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