The 2022 West Nile Virus Season in Greece; A Quite Intense Season
Danai Pervanidou,
Chrysovaladou Niki Kefaloudi,
Anna Vakali,
Ourania Tsakalidou,
Myrsini Karatheodorou,
Katerina Tsioka,
Maria Evangelidou,
Kassiani Mellou,
Styliani Pappa,
Konstantina Stoikou,
Vasiliki Bakaloudi,
George Koliopoulos,
Kostas Stamoulis,
Eleni Patsoula,
Constantina Politis,
Christos Hadjichristodoulou,
Anna Papa
Affiliations
Danai Pervanidou
National Public Health Organization (EODY), 151 23 Athens, Greece
Chrysovaladou Niki Kefaloudi
National Public Health Organization (EODY), 151 23 Athens, Greece
Anna Vakali
National Public Health Organization (EODY), 151 23 Athens, Greece
Ourania Tsakalidou
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Myrsini Karatheodorou
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Katerina Tsioka
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Maria Evangelidou
Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 115 21 Athens, Greece
Kassiani Mellou
National Public Health Organization (EODY), 151 23 Athens, Greece
Styliani Pappa
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantina Stoikou
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasiliki Bakaloudi
Molecular Blood Center, AHEPA University General Hospital, 546 36 Thessaloniki, Greece
George Koliopoulos
Department of Crop Science, School of Plant Sciences, Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, Greece
Kostas Stamoulis
Hellenic National Blood Transfusion Center, 136 72 Athens, Greece
Eleni Patsoula
Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 115 21 Athens, Greece
Constantina Politis
National Public Health Organization (EODY), 151 23 Athens, Greece
Christos Hadjichristodoulou
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 412 22 Larisa, Greece
Anna Papa
National Reference Center for Arboviruses and Haemorrhagic Fever Viruses, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Since 2010, the West Nile virus (WNV) has been established in Greece. We describe the epidemiology of diagnosed human WNV infections in Greece with a focus on the 2022 season. During the transmission period, clinicians were sending samples from suspected cases for testing. Active laboratory-based surveillance was performed with immediate notification of diagnosed cases. We collected clinical information and interviewed patients on a timely basis to identify their place of exposure. Besides serological and molecular diagnostic methods, next-generation sequencing was also performed. In 2022, 286 cases of WNV infection were diagnosed, including 278 symptomatic cases and 184 (64%) cases with neuroinvasive disease (WNND); 33 patients died. This was the third most intense season concerning the number of WNND cases, following 2018 and 2010. Most (96%) cases were recorded in two regions, in northern and central Greece. The virus strain was a variant of previous years, clustering into the Central European subclade of WNV lineage 2. The 2022 WNV season was quite intense in Greece. The prompt diagnosis and investigation of cases are considered pivotal for the timely response, while the availability of whole genome sequences enables studies on the molecular epidemiology of the disease.
