The first case of infection with the West Nile fever virus for this season has been registered in Bulgaria. The patient is a 63-year-old man from Plovdiv, who developed neurological complications after a summer vacation on his native Black Sea coast, the National Center for Communicable and Parasitic Diseases reported.
According to data from the health authorities, the infection was officially registered in the period between August 17 and 23. The man sought medical help at the end of July, when he was examined by a doctor due to muscle pain, cough and fever. The patient himself claims that he did not notice that he had been bitten by mosquitoes during his stay at the sea.
A week after the initial examination, his condition required hospitalization due to flu-like complaints. In mid-August, the disease progressed, which led to the onset of complications and the patient being transferred for treatment to a neurological department.
The West Nile virus continues to spread actively on the continent. According to data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the most affected countries are currently Greece and Italy. Cases of the infection have already been officially confirmed in 12 countries of the European Union.
For comparison, the analysis of the National Center for Communicable and Parasitic Diseases shows that in the past 2025, a total of 31 cases of the disease were registered in Bulgaria.
The weekly report of the health authorities also reports on other registered infections in the country. During the same period, one new case of monkeypox was reported (bringing the total number for the year to two), whooping cough (a total of 13 for the year) and listeriosis (a total of nine since the beginning of the year). 14 cases of Lyme disease and five of Marseille fever have also been identified.