Mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been discovered in the greater Tel Aviv area known as Gush Dan in central Israel for the first time this summer.
Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry on Wednesday warned that people with covid-19 should take particular care.
The Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan municipalities were instructed to increase monitoring and, if necessary, execute pest control measures.
Carriers have already been located in Israel’s north and near the Kishon Stream in the Mount Gilboa area. They were also found in various communities in the Arava Desert in the south.
West Nile fever is a zoonotic disease. This means that it originates in animals and can be transmitted to humans. Although it is found primarily in birds, it can be spread to humans via mosquito bites.
Symptoms include headache, fever, weakness, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, rash and even nausea and diarrhea.
In 2018, three Israelis were killed by the disease.
According to Health Ministry figures in 2019, 32 people were reported to have carried the disease in 27 localities. Infected animals were discovered in four locations, and infected mosquitoes were seen in 34 locations throughout Israel.
