JERUSALEM, July 12 (Xinhua) -- With 12 new fatalities confirmed Friday, Israel has recorded 31 deaths from West Nile fever since an outbreak in the country in early May, health authorities said.
The Ministry of Health in a statement reported 49 new infection cases, bringing the country's tallies to 405, close to the annual record high of 425 cases in the year 2000.
The ministry attributed the high morbidity to warmer and more humid weather in the region favorable to mosquitoes, a host that transmits the virus from birds through bites to humans.
The Israeli news website Ynet reported that most of the infected are elderly aged 70 and above, while children were also diagnosed with the virus.
Most human infections show no to mild cold symptoms, but occasionally, some people develop severe illnesses affecting the central nervous system.
Earlier this week, Israel's chief veterinary officer, Tamir Goshen, told the news website that 159 birds were found infected with the virus in the last two months, compared to only three infections among birds in the entire 2023. ■