Health Ministry confirms first case of West Nile virus this year

The Health Ministry confirms the first case of the West Nile virus in a Tel Aviv resident.

This is the first confirmed case of the disease in Israel during the summer season of 2026.

However, the Environmental Protection Ministry reports that no mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus have been found.

Every year from the beginning of June until the end of November, the frequency of finding mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus increases, as do reports of human illness from the disease.

“West Nile fever is a disease transmitted to humans through the bite of female mosquitoes that feed on infected birds,” says Prof. Sigal Sadetzki, head of the ministry’s public health division. “In most cases, it is a mild illness without symptoms; in exceptional cases, severe symptoms such as encephalitis or meningitis can develop.”

The Environmental Protection Ministry has instructed the relevant local authority to increase prevention, monitoring, pest control and public awareness efforts. The ministry conducts thousands of mosquito larva monitoring tests, and hundreds of adult mosquito trappings throughout the year. The mosquitoes are transferred to the Health Ministry’s laboratories for identification and testing.

The ministry recommends using mosquito repellent products and devices.

It also urges the public to dry and drain sources of standing water, such as buckets, flowerpot saucers, gutters, ornamental ponds, and any other container that might accumulate water, and to report mosquito hazards or sources of standing water in public spaces to the local authority’s hotline at *106.