Climatic suitability for the transmission of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Europe (1950-2020), Apr 2023

This metadata refer to the dataset presenting the annual change in the estimated West Nile Virus transmission risk between 1950 and 2020 by country. The risk varies between 0 (no risk) and 1 (very high risk). This indicator uses machine learning models incorporating WNV reported cases and climate variables (temperature, precipitation) to estimate WNV transmission probability.

West Nile virus is a climate-sensitive multi-host and multi-vector pathogen. Human infection is associated with severe disease risk and death. In the past few decades, European countries have had a large increase in the intensity, frequency, and geographical expansion of West Nile virus outbreaks. The 2018 outbreak has been the largest yet, with 11 European countries reporting 1584 locally acquired infections. Increasing ambient temperatures are increasing the vectorial capacity of the Culex mosquito vector, and thus increasing the outbreak probability.