Romania Not Currently Threatened By West Nile Epidemic – Health Official

State secretary Adrian Streinu-Cercel said people who were infected with the virus 14 years ago are immune to the virus.

"Studies conducted by the Matei Bals Institute in Bucharest in 1997, one year after the epidemic, together with experts of CDC Atlanta, show 4.1% of Bucharest citizens are immune following the 1996 outbreak," Cercel said, adding this season's West Nile infections are sporadic and the most vulnerable categories are people aged over 50 who have chronic illnesses.

Cercel added about 0.9% of the population in other areas of the country affected by the 1996 epidemic have become immune to the virus.

"There is no risk of an epidemic," Cercel said, adding recent West Nile infections in Romania are endemic and the virus has not been brought from outside the country.

Health Minister Cseke Attila told a news conference Monday that Romania has registered seven cases of infection with the West Nile virus, including two deaths, adding that the ministry has informed European organizations and specialized bodies. The two people who died were over 70 and also suffered from chronic illnesses.

Several other potential cases of infection are being evaluated.

West Nile meningitis is an infectious disease transmitted through mosquito bites and is not transmitted directly between humans. There is no vaccine against the virus.

Public health authorities recommend avoiding exposure to mosquitoes by wearing shirts with long-sleeves and long trousers, or applying various mosquito-repellant substances. They also advise attaching screens against mosquitoes to windows and doors and dispose of containers of musty water.

Specialists say anyone suffering from fever, intense headaches, nausea, or abdominal, muscular or joint pains, should see a doctor immediately. They also say local authorities must take steps to destroy mosquito breeding places.

The West Nile virus turned up this summer in Greece, where it caused dozens of deaths. In Russia, at least five people died as a result of infection in the Volgograd region, where 116 cases were reported by August 24, according to local healthcare services, cited by AFP.

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