Spain warning as virus spreads in beautiful city loved by British tourists
Nine people in one Spanish holiday hotspot have been struck by the virus.
Authorities have sent an emergency health alert as the West Nile virus has spread in one Spanish holiday hotspot popular with British tourists.
Nine cases of the virus have been reported in four towns in the Seville province. The Andalusian Government said two cases of the West Nile virus emerged from Los Palacios and Villafranca, three from Dos Hermanas and two from both Coria del Rio and La Puebla del Río respectively.
Six of the nine patients with the virus have already been discharged from hospital, authorities have said.
The virus has been detected in mosquitoes, so any British tourists holidaying in the region need to protect themselves.
The vast majority of West Nile Virus cases are asymptomatic, but elderly people are at greater risk of complications.
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Spanish media has reported that 2,000 people protested in Seville town on Monday demanding controls to stop the spread of the virus.
A spokesperson for the protest group told local radio outlet CanalSur that local officials needed to act immediately to stop the spread.
Protesters were pictured holding signs that read: "No more death! No more fear!" and "Solutions! Platform against the West Nile Virus"
Medical experts for the UK government say most clinical cases of the West Nile Virus are mild and only one percent of patients develop neuroinvasive diseases.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, headaches and myalgia - a form of muscle aches and pains.
