How many West Nile virus cases has France recorded in 2026?

Santé publique France reported 145 locally transmitted human cases as of its September 28, 2026 bulletin, more than double the 62 cases recorded for the entire 2025 season.

How many people have died from West Nile virus in France?

In Île-de-France specifically, three deaths were recorded among patients aged 49, 73 and 88, according to the regional outlet La Clé Publique. A confirmed nationwide death total was not available in the sources reviewed.

How is West Nile virus transmitted?

The virus circulates between wild birds and Culex mosquitoes; mosquitoes that bite infected birds can then transmit the virus to humans and horses through bites. It does not spread directly from person to person via mosquitoes because human blood viral loads are too low.

What are the symptoms of West Nile virus infection?

About 80% of infections cause no symptoms. Symptomatic cases typically involve fever, headache, weakness and muscle or joint pain, while fewer than 1% of infections lead to severe neurological complications such as encephalitis or meningitis.

Who is most at risk of severe illness?

Elderly people and those with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer face a higher risk of developing severe, neuro-invasive forms of the disease, according to The Conversation.

Health · Article

West Nile virus in France: 145 cases confirmed, what the numbers mean

Published: October 4, 2026 at 12:07 AM UTC

In brief

France has recorded 145 locally acquired human cases of West Nile virus so far in 2026, more than double the previous record of 62 cases set in 2025, according to Santé publique France's bulletin dated September 28. The virus, spread by Culex mosquitoes that bite infected birds, causes no symptoms in about 80% of people but can trigger severe neurological illness in less than 1%.

France's national public health agency, Santé publique France, reported 145 autochthonous (locally transmitted) human cases of West Nile virus in mainland France in its enhanced surveillance bulletin dated September 28, 2026. That figure includes 28 new cases recorded in the single week leading up to the bulletin, according to the agency's data cited by the health-news outlet Outbreak News Today. The count exceeds the previous season's full-year total of 62 cases reported in 2025.

Where the virus is spreading

According to Santé publique France's bulletin, cases have been confirmed across several French regions: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (3 departments), Occitanie (7 departments), Île-de-France (7 departments), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (3 departments), Nouvelle-Aquitaine (1 department, Gironde), Pays de la Loire (3 departments) and Centre-Val de Loire (1 department, Loiret). Fourteen cases had no identified place of contamination. The French science-and-research outlet The Conversation reported that the virus has now been detected in 25 French departments overall, including Île-de-France, a region where it had not previously circulated before 2025.

Deaths and severe cases in Île-de-France

In the Île-de-France region specifically, the regional health monitoring outlet La Clé Publique reported 23 confirmed cases as of September 28, of which 13 developed the neuro-invasive form of the disease. Three deaths were recorded in the region, among patients aged 49, 73 and 88. By department, Val-de-Marne had 7 cases, Essonne 5, Seine-Saint-Denis 4, Val-d'Oise 3, Seine-et-Marne 2, and Yvelines and Hauts-de-Seine 1 each; no human case had been confirmed in Paris itself, though the virus was detected in birds there.

What West Nile virus is and how it spreads

West Nile virus is an arbovirus of the Orthoflavivirus genus, first isolated in Uganda in 1937, according to The Conversation. It circulates mainly between wild birds, which act as the main reservoir, and Culex pipiens mosquitoes, the common mosquito widespread in Europe. Mosquitoes become infected after biting infected birds and can then transmit the virus to humans and horses through subsequent bites. The virus cannot pass directly from one infected person to another through mosquito bites, because viral loads in human blood are too low; rarer transmission routes include blood transfusion and organ transplantation.

Symptoms and who is most at risk

Around 80% of infections produce no symptoms at all, according to The Conversation and La Clé Publique. Symptomatic cases typically involve fever, headache, general weakness, and muscle or joint pain, sometimes with a rash. Severe neuro-invasive forms—encephalitis, meningitis or paralysis—affect fewer than 1% of infected people overall, but these severe cases make up a larger share of what is actually diagnosed, since mild infections are rarely tested for. The Conversation reported that elderly people and those with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer face a higher risk of severe illness, and that 40% to 50% of patients with severe disease retain lasting cognitive, functional or physical after-effects.

Why cases are rising this year

The Conversation attributed the increase to several combined factors. Warmer temperatures linked to climate change extend the mosquitoes' active season, lengthen their lifespan and speed up viral replication inside them. Migratory birds re-introduce the virus into Europe each year. The geographic range of confirmed transmission has also widened to regions, such as Île-de-France, that had not previously recorded local circulation.

The wider European picture

France's outbreak is part of a broader pattern across the Mediterranean region in 2026. An early-August report by Euronews, citing the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and national health authorities, put France's case count at just 2 at that time, versus 94 in Italy and 65 in Greece; Greece recorded six deaths, all in patients over 65 with severe central-nervous-system involvement. These figures come from different national agencies and reporting dates than the later French totals cited above, so direct comparisons between countries should be read with that in mind.

Prevention measures recommended

Health authorities cited by La Clé Publique recommend standard mosquito-bite prevention: wearing protective clothing, using insect repellent, installing mosquito screens on windows, and eliminating standing water around homes where Culex mosquitoes breed. There is no vaccine for West Nile virus approved for human use in Europe.

Questions

How many West Nile virus cases has France recorded in 2026?: Santé publique France reported 145 locally transmitted human cases as of its September 28, 2026 bulletin, more than double the 62 cases recorded for the entire 2025 season.
How many people have died from West Nile virus in France?: In Île-de-France specifically, three deaths were recorded among patients aged 49, 73 and 88, according to the regional outlet La Clé Publique. A confirmed nationwide death total was not available in the sources reviewed.
How is West Nile virus transmitted?: The virus circulates between wild birds and Culex mosquitoes; mosquitoes that bite infected birds can then transmit the virus to humans and horses through bites. It does not spread directly from person to person via mosquitoes because human blood viral loads are too low.
What are the symptoms of West Nile virus infection?: About 80% of infections cause no symptoms. Symptomatic cases typically involve fever, headache, weakness and muscle or joint pain, while fewer than 1% of infections lead to severe neurological complications such as encephalitis or meningitis.
Who is most at risk of severe illness?: Elderly people and those with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer face a higher risk of developing severe, neuro-invasive forms of the disease, according to The Conversation.

How the world is telling it

FrenchFrench outlets covering the story, including the regional outlet La Clé Publique and the science-and-research publication The Conversation, frame it primarily as a domestic public-health surveillance issue, emphasizing the record case count compared to 2025, the spread to previously unaffected regions like Île-de-France, and the role of climate change in extending mosquito activity, while detailing region-by-region and department-by-department case breakdowns from Santé publique France bulletins.

Sources

This piece was prepared with artificial intelligence and passed an automated source check before publication. If you see an error, ask for a correction. Request a correction or reply · How we make this

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