COPENHAGEN, October 21. /TASS/. The ‘Culex modestus’ mosquitos, which transmit the dreaded West Nile virus (WNV), have been found in Denmark, The Copenhagen Post reported.
An almost unknown disease, also called West Nile encephalitis, causes febrile illness and inflammation of brain. It is mostly spread in tropical regions, however, due to the mass tourism development, it can now be found in different regions of the world.
The menacing insects were discovered in vicinity of the reservoir in the south-western capital suburb of Greve.
"The mosquitoes themselves are harmless," Rene Bødker, an epidemiologist from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), told Denmark TV. "They become dangerous during bird migration seasons, that’s when virus infected birds come to Denmark from the South."
It is the first time Nile Fever mosquitos are seen in Scandinavia. DTU experts, who were monitoring populations of these insects in Denmark since 2011, consider that their expansion to the north is caused by a global warming.
WNV vaccine doesn’t exist, there is no specific treatment, and precautionary measures include disposing of mosquitoes that transmit the virus from birds to humans.