West Nile cases spike in Italy as FVG steps up surveillance

Italy is experiencing a sharp increase in West Nile virus infections at the end of August, according to The Local Italy, as health authorities across the country report a spike in cases. The mosquito-borne disease, which can cause severe neurological illness in a minority of those infected, has become a recurring seasonal concern in the country's northern regions.

The rise in cases comes as much of Europe contends with warmer-than-usual temperatures that extend the breeding season of the Culex mosquitoes that transmit the virus. Italy's Po Valley and northeastern regions have historically been among the areas most affected, with the virus also detected in birds and horses before it reaches humans.

For Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the spike renews focus on regional surveillance systems that track both human cases and infection rates in mosquito populations. The region's position at the crossroads of Mediterranean and continental climates makes it a natural monitoring point for the virus's seasonal spread.