A decade of West Nile virus surveillance in the host and vector populations of Denmark, 2011 to 2023.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUNDTo spot potential introductions of West Nile virus (WNV) into Denmark, a national surveillance programme for WNV was established in 2011. The relevance of this programme was underscored in the late 2010s, when WNV was detected in areas close to Denmark.AIMWe describe the Danish WNV surveillance programme and its findings in 2011-2023.METHODSThe surveillance programme monitors mosquitoes, which are WNV vectors, and some mammalian animals and birds, which are WNV hosts. Surveillance samples are also tested for the closely related Usutu virus (USUV), which, like WNV, is a flavivirus. During the study, WNV and USUV RNAs were sought in 62 bats (sampled in 2022-2023), 5,661 Culex sp. mosquitoes (2011-2023), 628 dead wild birds (2011-2014 and 2019-2023), and 492 live birds (2011-

SUBMITTER: Olesen AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12449679 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature