Since August 12, 2026, the 74-year-old man diagnosed as the first case of West Nile virus in Cyprus this summer. Pambos Charilaou, spokesperson for the State Health Services Organization, told AlphaNews.Live that on August 14, 2026, the elderly man’s condition worsened, and it was deemed necessary to intubate him and transfer him to the Intensive Care Unit, where he remains hospitalized with an improved clinical condition.
Mr. Charilaou noted that the 74-year-old was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of West Nile virus, and underwent specialized medical tests that confirmed encephalitis. According to the OKYPY Press Spokesperson, the elderly man has no history of travel, and the Ministry of Health’s relevant departments immediately began an epidemiological investigation of the case.
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Speaking on the “Alpha Summer” program, Elisabeth Konstantinou, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health, said that the incident is not a cause for concern among officials, as one or two sporadic cases occur each year.
She explained that the virus is not transmitted from person to person, but infection stems from infected mosquitoes or certain types of rodents, and in the vast majority of cases (80%) cases are asymptomatic. A small percentage of people experience symptoms of a generalized infection, such as rashes, fever, muscle aches, etc. An extremely small percentage (less than 1%) may experience neurological symptoms, such as severe headache, confusion, etc.
According to Ms. Konstantinou, the Ministry has protocols and procedures in place for managing cases, and once they are identified, spraying operations are carried out to control mosquitoes.
Furthermore, the virus has been monitored in Cyprus since 2016, and the reported cases remain sporadic, with the exception of 2019, when 24 cases were recorded, and in 2023, when nine cases were recorded, while there were also years with zero cases, such as 2020, 2021, and 2025.
Ms. Konstantinou emphasized that it is important for citizens to take measures to prevent insect bites, as well as for travelers visiting areas where the virus is spreading.
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Infectious disease specialist Aristos Aristodimou told CNA that this is a case that falls within the very small percentage of patients infected with the West Nile virus, who may develop a severe infection of the central nervous system. These patients are usually elderly or immunocompromised individuals, although this is not always the case.
He added that the majority of infections with this virus are asymptomatic, while a small percentage may present with flu-like symptoms. Mr. Aristodimou clarified that this is a virus transmitted exclusively through mosquito bites, as mosquitoes are the carriers, and that it is not transmitted from person to person.
Mr. Aristodemou explained that spraying takes place throughout the year, but they are carried out more intensively when cases are identified, after tracing the areas where the patient may have been exposed and sending teams to investigate.
Furthermore, Mr. Aristodemou said that it was to be expected that we would have a case, since the mosquito capable of transmitting the West Nile virus is endemic to Cyprus. He explained, in fact, that the Ministry’s services are also on alert for the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases not endemic to Cyprus, such as dengue fever, Zika, and Chikungunya.
