Early rise of West Nile fever in Israel, June 2024
Zohar Mor, Husein Omari, Victoria Indenbaum, Oscar D. Kirstein, Oren Shatach Catabi, Shay Reicher, Yaniv Lustig, Maya Davidovich-Cohen, Ehud Kaliner, Rivka Sheffer, Shirly Elbaz, Or Kriger, Sharon Alroy‐Preis
Abstract
This report describes an unusual surge of West Nile fever in Israel in June 2024, during which 125 cases were diagnosed, compared with 4 cases on average during June in previous years (2014-23). Of the cases, 64 (62.1%) had neuroinvasive disease and 12 (9.6%) died; the 2024 case fatality rate was not significantly elevated vs the average rate in 2014-23. The early rise could be related to a temperature increase in spring and early summer of 2024.
Topics & Concepts
West Nile virusGeologyMedicineVirologyVirusMosquito-borne diseases and controlViral Infections and VectorsViral Infections and Outbreaks Research