Eighteen people in Croatia are suspected of being infected with the West Nile virus, the Croatian National Institute of Public Health said on Friday.
Given that the virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, the Institute highlighted the importance of personal protection and said that the necessary measures were being taken.
In neighbouring Serbia twenty people have recently died of the West Nile virus, mainly elderly people, and 177 cases have been reported in that country so far.
The West Nile virus is a seasonal condition transmitted by mosquitoes which usually appears during summer. Deaths are most frequent among terminal patients, people with weakened immunity and elderly people.
