Buzzard in Berlin tested positive for West Nile Virus
In Germany, the West-Nil-Virus was first detected in 2018. In Berlin, the virus is now estimated to be endemic by the Senate Department for Consumer Protection. The first confirmed case in the capital city this year has been reported.
A Habicht (Hobby) in Berlin has been found to be infected with the West-Nil-Virus. This is the second known outbreak in Germany and the first in Berlin, according to the Berlin Senate Department for Consumer Protection. The bird's body was examined at the Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg. The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) confirmed the finding. The first reported case this year in Germany, according to an FLI spokesperson, was a raptor found in Brandenburg in January.
The West-Nil-Virus originated in Africa and is transmitted by mosquitoes. In Germany, the virus was first detected in 2018 and has since caused infections in birds, horses, and humans every year. The Berlin Senate Department reports annual outbreaks in birds in Berlin. "It is assumed that the virus is endemic in all of Berlin."
Most cases in Eastern Germany
According to FLI reports, there were at least 18 confirmed West-Nil-Virus infections in horses and 24 in wild and zoo animals (as of 27.11.2023). The majority of infections were reported in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, and some in Thuringia.
Mosquitoes and birds can transmit the virus, but not humans and other mammals. They are known as dead-end hosts. West-Nil-Fever is one of the few diseases transmitted by mosquitoes in Europe. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), most infections are asymptomatic, about 20% of infected individuals develop a feverish, influenza-like illness that lasts a few days, and about one in every hundred infected individuals develops encephalitis or meningitis. There is no vaccine for humans, but there is one for horses.
Viren, a veterinarian at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, has been studying the West-Nil-Virus in birds and horses. He emphasizes the importance of regular education about the virus for bird owners and farmers in Berlin. The Berlin Zoo is now offering educational programs about the West-Nil-Virus for its visitors, encouraging them to learn more about the virus and its transmission methods.
