Two people contract West Nile virus locally in south-west Germany

Two people in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg have contracted West Nile virus locally for the first time, the state social affairs ministry said, adding that neither had recently travelled abroad.

The infections were detected last week in the Stuttgart and Karlsruhe areas and are believed to have been transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes.

The virus was detected in birds and horses in Baden-Württemberg in 2024. The state's Health Minister Oliver Hildenbrand said the human cases were not unexpected, but the state health authority currently saw no increased risk to the general population.

Locally acquired West Nile virus infections have been recorded in Germany since 2019, initially mainly in eastern states, the ministry said.

As of October 7, four cases had been documented in Germany this year: two in Berlin and one each in Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate.

The virus is transmitted mainly by mosquitoes among wild birds, but infected mosquitoes can also pass it to humans and other mammals, according to Germany's Robert Koch Institute for public health.

Around 20% of infected people develop West Nile fever, a flu-like illness. About one in 100 infected people develop severe disease. Most cases resolve without complications, although lasting effects are relatively common among those who become seriously ill, the institute says.