Italy recorded 41 deaths and 594 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in 2026, according to the weekly bulletin from the Superior Institute of Health (ISS) with data as of September 8. Of the total identified cases, 306 correspond to the neuroinvasive form of the disease, the most severe manifestation, representing just over half of the total. Among the remaining records, 202 patients presented West Nile fever and 81 infections were asymptomatic.
Five cases were imported from other countries: Maldives, France, Belgium, Greece, and the Netherlands. One patient with West Nile fever had traveled to Burkina Faso. The new count represents a 14% increase compared to the previous bulletin, which had recorded 521 cases.
The circulation of the virus has already been identified in 79 provinces in 19 Italian regions, four more provinces than in the previous survey. The ISS is responsible for compiling and publishing this data on the spread of the disease in the country.




