EODY: 75 new West Nile virus cases in one week

According to the new weekly epidemiological surveillance report from EODY released on Thursday, 27 August 2026, 75 new domestic West Nile virus cases were diagnosed and reported in the last week, while nine patients died within the same period, as reported by Reporter.gr and thepressproject.gr, citing the report. From the start of the 2026 surveillance period through 26 August, 11:00 a.m., a total of 232 domestic cases have been recorded in the country—against 157 recorded by the previous week’s report—of which 165 presented manifestations of the Central Nervous System, namely encephalitis, meningitis, or acute flaccid paralysis, while the remaining 67 had mild or no manifestations, according to EODY. The total number of deaths in the country has now risen to 19, all in patients over 65 years old, with median age 85 years and range from 66 to 92 years, as recorded by EODY.

The largest concentration of new cases continues to be recorded in the municipalities of eastern Attica, but, as emphasized by Reporter.gr and thepressproject.gr, cases have now been found, albeit sporadically, in 61 municipalities across 18 Regional Units and five Regions: Attica, Thessaly, Central Macedonia, Peloponnese, and Central Greece. Nearly half the cases are found in eastern Attica and Athens’s northern suburbs, while in proportion to their population most severe cases are recorded in the municipalities of Markopoulo Mesogaias, with 50.6 cases per 100,000 residents, and Spata–Artemida, with 43 per 100,000 residents, where municipalities have already undertaken night spraying for the virus. Cases have recently been recorded in neighbouring municipalities as well, such as in Papagou and Filothei, while the disease has caused serious cases outside Attica too, such as the hospitalization of a 75-year-old in ICU in Heraklion.

EODY President Theodoros Vasilakopulos, speaking to SKAI as reported by newsit.gr, explained that this year’s outbreak is linked to weather conditions: one of the warmest winters in the last 150 years, which allowed mosquitoes to survive early, followed by spring with intense humidity and frequent rainfall that created breeding foci. Elderly people and those with underlying illnesses face greater risk of severe illness, as stressed by Vasilakopulos, asking these groups to systematically use strong insect repellents, sprays, and lotions. Meanwhile, according to thepressproject.gr, 46 patients remain hospitalized in regular wards outside ICU/high-care units, 26 are in Intensive Care Units, and one is in a High-Care Unit, while 124 have already been discharged and 16 did not require hospitalization.

When asked about the course of the phenomenon, EODY’s president told newsit.gr: “Surely through mid-September we will have quite a few cases and gradually we will have de-escalation in October,” clarifying that developments will depend both on weather conditions and on measures taken in the coming period. He admitted that implementation of the national response plan, carried out each year by Regions and municipalities through preventive spraying, has delivered less than EODY would have liked, noting that the service has no way to check how skillfully each municipality applies the plan. Until then, recommendations remain oriented toward individual protection from mosquitoes, especially for the elderly and people with underlying illnesses, as the next weekly EODY report is expected to show whether the rate of new cases continues to rise.