19 Apr, 2024 @ 11:05
1 min read

Young boy catches West Nile virus in Spain’s Andalucia – with a second ‘probable’ case in a teenager in Sevilla

ANDALUCIA sees two cases of West Nile virus after a young boy is infected and another suspected case is detected in Sevilla. 

The Junta de Andalucia has confirmed a case of West Nile virus to the Spanish Ministry of Health. 

A young boy under five, from the Lebrija area of Sevilla, was in hospital for ten days but is now ‘perfectly well’. 

According to the Department of Health and Food, the boy started to show symptoms at the start of March. 

READ MORE: West Nile Virus is found in 50,000 mosquitoes in Spain’s Andalucia – these are the most at risk areas

Photo by ???? ??????? on Unsplash

Although it is not known when the boy may have caught the illness, they did confirm another probable case of a 17-year-old girl in Dos Hermanas, Sevilla. 

She also began to show symptoms in early March and was in hospital for 18 days. 

Now at home and doing well, more studies are needed on her case to confirm the infection. 

READ MORE: Malaga is the province with the largest number of people bitten by the tiger mosquito in Andalucia this year

The Junta has now implemented measures to control the issue, installing traps near homes. 

The Estacion Biologica de Donana- CSIC (The Doñana Biological Station) has also installed eight traps to evaluate the issue near the boy’s home and so far, all tests have come back negative. 

Local authorities have also been warned to control the presence of rubbish and activate control measures in the general population, such as giving out preventative medicine. 

Dos Hermanas and Lebrija will be evaluated for their risk level. 

Last year, 113 cases were identified, mostly in June, November and August. 

READ MORE: Primary school employs bats to combat plagues of mosquitos biting the children

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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