A resident of Aznalcázar has tested positive for West Nile Virus, raising the total to six cases in the province of Seville this season. The Junta extends the alert area in the municipality.
The Ministry of Presidency, Health and Emergencies of the Junta de Andalucía has confirmed a new case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the province of Seville. This involves a resident of the municipality of Aznalcázar, who began showing symptoms on July 24 and whose diagnosis has been confirmed through a PCR test conducted at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital.
With this positive case, there are now six people diagnosed with WNV in Andalucía during the current season, all of them in the province of Seville. The previous cases are located in Palomares del Río, Villamanrique de la Condesa, La Puebla del Río, and Coria del Río. All have been classified as mild, identified through the surveillance system of the Comprehensive Surveillance and Control Programme for West Nile Virus Vectors in Andalucía.
The Ministry has decided to extend the alert area period for Aznalcázar until August 21. This declaration involves intensifying entomological, animal, and human surveillance efforts in the area, as well as reinforcing communication actions to the public through community pharmacies and nursing services to ensure necessary protective measures against the virus are adopted.
Additionally, the Aznalcázar City Council must intensify measures for controlling and treating mosquitoes that transmit the disease, as outlined in its Municipal Vector Surveillance and Control Plan. These actions must be applied not only in populated areas but also in locations identified as larval breeding sites or adult refuges within 1.5 kilometers.
In the province of Seville, eleven municipalities have been declared as alert areas: Almensilla, Aznalcázar, Bollullos de la Mitación, Coria del Río, Constantina, Gelves, La Puebla del Río, Mairena del Aljarafe, Palomares del Río, San Juan de Aznalfarache, and Villamanrique de la Condesa. Additionally, viral circulation has been detected in Benacazón (Sevilla) and Bujalance (Córdoba), although since the capture point is more than 1.5 kilometers from the urban centre, the alert area has not been declared in those municipalities.
Outside the province, other Andalusian municipalities on alert include Torredonjimeno (Jaén), Salobreña (Granada), Fuengirola, and Las Lagunas-Mijas (Málaga). In the rest of Andalucía, WNV circulation has been detected in two wild birds out of a total of 208 analysed, in an area far from population centres within the Doñana National Park. So far, there has been no recorded circulation of the virus in equines during the current season.
The Junta reminds the population of the importance of adopting preventive measures, such as using repellents, mosquito nets, and long-sleeved clothing, especially during peak mosquito activity hours, at dawn and dusk. It also recommends avoiding the accumulation of stagnant water in pots, buckets, and other containers, as these can become potential breeding sites for the transmitting mosquitoes.
The surveillance programme will remain active over the coming months, and it is expected that the municipalities in alert areas will continue fumigation and vector control efforts to minimise the risk of new infections.
