West Nile virus deaths in the Netherlands rise to 12

Two more people have died after a West Nile virus infection, bringing the number of deaths in 2026 to 12, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said in its weekly update on Thursday.

One new infection was confirmed in the past week, fewer than in previous weeks. The total is now 77 cases. Because the mosquito season is over, the RIVM expects the outbreak to have peaked. The new patient is from Zuid-Holland.

Five birds and four horses also tested positive for the virus in the past week.

The virus comes from birds and can be passed to people by mosquitoes. Most people notice little of an infection, but some get flu-like or more serious symptoms. In rare cases it can cause encephalitis, meningitis or a form of polio. People who already have fragile health could die after infection.

The only other year in which the virus was found in people in the Netherlands was 2020, when eight people in the Utrecht and Arnhem regions were infected.