Africa: Growing Concern As Mosquito-Borne West Nile Virus Gains Ground in France

What the report says

France is seeing a marked rise in West Nile virus infections, according to Radio France Internationale as republished by AllAfrica. French public health agency Santé Publique France said its seasonal surveillance, which began on 1 May and runs through 30 November, had identified 161 locally acquired human cases by 7 October, with five reported deaths. The latest bulletin cited in the report showed an increase of 16 cases from the previous week. The agency said 28 infections were asymptomatic and 133 caused symptoms, including 60 neuro-invasive cases.

The story says the current level is unusual for France, which recorded 62 cases and five deaths in the summer of 2025. West Nile virus is spread to humans by mosquitoes that become infected from birds, and the report notes that the illness has spread from its earlier concentration in southern France to other regions, including Île-de-France around Paris. It also says there is no commercially available vaccine or preventive treatment.

The article places the outbreak in a wider European context, saying health officials and researchers see climate change, especially warmer temperatures and dry conditions, as factors that may help mosquitoes and birds come into closer contact and expand the insects’ range. Cautious background included in the report suggests the virus is now being detected in more parts of Europe, which has prompted calls for stronger surveillance and monitoring of wildlife and mosquito activity.