86-Year-Old Woman Dies From West Nile Virus After Mosquito Bite

86-Year-Old Woman Dies From West Nile Virus After Mosquito Bite

October 25, 2026 Jennifer Chen Health
News Context
At a glance
  • Ela não tinha problemas de saúde latentes, estava saudável, ativa e com uma vida normal
  • More on this story: Immunocompromised 21-Year-Old Dies After Mosquito Bite in Borso del Grappa
  • More on West Nile: France records 161 West Nile virus cases in 24 departments
Original source: correio24horas.com.br
An 86-year-old woman died in July 2024 after contracting the West Nile virus from a mosquito bite in southern Spain, correio24horas.com.br reported. Granada Romero Ruiz spent nine days hospitalized in Seville before dying from neurological complications of the infection.

Hospitalization and Rapid Progression in Seville

Granada Romero Ruiz was admitted to a Seville hospital where she remained for nine days prior to her death in July 2024. Her son, Antonio Pineda, told the Spanish press that his mother maintained an active lifestyle without any prior health conditions before contracting the virus.

Ela não tinha problemas de saúde latentes, estava saudável, ativa e com uma vida normal

Antonio Pineda via correio24horas.com.br

The family experienced a sudden worsening of her condition after the mosquito bite. The case also marked a second family incidence of the disease, as her husband had contracted the same virus in 2016.

Municipal Response in La Puebla del Río

Following the death, the municipality of La Puebla del Río in the province of Seville issued a statement of condolence. The local government demanded strengthened mosquito control measures and urged public health authorities to implement permanent insect management actions.

Transmission and Clinical Profile of West Nile Virus

The West Nile virus spreads to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes, particularly those of the Culex genus. Birds serve as the principal natural reservoirs for the virus, while mosquitoes circulate it among hosts. The infection does not transmit through routine human contact such as handshakes or shared objects. Data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that approximately 80 percent of infected individuals remain completely asymptomatic. About 20 percent experience mild illness resembling a viral infection, while fewer than 1 percent develop severe central nervous system disease. Initial symptoms manifest between two and 14 days after a bite and include fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes. Severe cases can progress to meningitis, encephalitis, or spinal cord inflammation, causing neck stiffness, confusion, tremors, muscle weakness, and acute flaccid paralysis. Individuals over 60 years of age and those with compromised immune systems face the highest risk of neurological complications.

Treatment Limitations and Prevention Methods

No specific antiviral medication or licensed human vaccine currently exists for the West Nile virus. Medical care focuses on symptom management, supportive care, and hydration for mild cases, while severe neurological complications require hospitalization and respiratory support. Public health authorities recommend reducing exposure by using registered insect repellents, installing window screens, wearing protective clothing, and eliminating standing water reservoirs where mosquitoes breed. The virus circulates across Europe, Africa, and the Americas, with documented human cases in Brazil alongside other arboviruses like dengue, zika, and chikungunya.
Woman dies from mosquito bite with West Nile Virus

More on this story: Immunocompromised 21-Year-Old Dies After Mosquito Bite in Borso del Grappa

More on West Nile: France records 161 West Nile virus cases in 24 departments

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