Three people infected with West Nile virus die in Netherlands

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Three people infected with West Nile virus have died in the Netherlands since August, while the total number of reported cases has risen to 18, the country's health authority confirmed on Thursday.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said in its weekly update that, except for one case detected as part of a scientific study, the virus was diagnosed in the other cases after the individuals had been hospitalized with symptoms.

The RIVM reported last month that a person who had contracted West Nile virus locally in the Netherlands had died.

A female culex mosquito is held by tweezers before being tested for the presence of the West Nile virus at the Arizona Department of Health Services laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, the United States, August 11, 2004. /VCG

West Nile virus naturally circulates among birds and is most commonly spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 80% of infections cause no symptoms, while around 19% result in flu-like symptoms and about 1% of infections develop into more serious illness involving neurological symptoms, according to the RIVM.

The World Health Organization has said there is currently no licensed vaccine for humans and no specific antiviral treatment for West Nile virus. Treatment focuses on managing symptoms, with supportive care in hospital provided for patients with severe illness.