Belgium has reported its first probable cases of West Nile virus that appear to have been acquired locally, according to The Star. The cases were detected in the northern part of the country, with five probable human infections identified in Flanders, The Brussels Times reports.
The Star describes the cases as probable rather than confirmed, and no further details on the patients or their condition were available in the reporting. Anadolu Ajansı also reported the infections as the first locally acquired West Nile virus cases in northern Belgium, while UA.NEWS put the number of probable local cases at five.
The detection marks a shift for Belgium, where West Nile virus infections have previously not been linked to local transmission. The reports from The Star, The Brussels Times, Anadolu Ajansı and UA.NEWS all point to the same cluster in Flanders, though the material available does not specify exactly where in the region the cases were found or how the patients are being treated.
