Assessment of west nile virus infection in turkey based on two recent cases

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus maintained in enzootic transmission cycles between mosquitoes and birds and is occasionally transmitted to mammals. This study evaluated WNV-infected patients and public health measures taken in Turkey. Upon notification of two cases of WNV neuroinvasive form in October 2016 serological and neutralization tests were performed and clinical and epidemiological surveillance studies conducted. A female patient in Izmir recovered but a male patient in Manisa died from the infection. The prevalence of suspected WNV-infected cases in the two provinces in 2016 varied between 0-22.1 per 100,000 population. However, patients diagnosed with viral encephalitis, arthropod-borne viral encephalitis or mosquito-borne viral encephalitis were not infected with WNV. From a “One Health, One World” perspective, collaboration among veterinary and health authorities, entomologists, environmental special-ists, and biologists, provides the best strategy towards control and prevention of WNV disease in Turkey. © 2019, SEAMEO TROPMED Network. All rights reserved.