Two Irish tourists contract West Nile Virus
The National Disease Surveillance Centre has warned Irish tourists to take extra precautions against the West Nile Virus when travelling abroad.
The warning follows confirmation that two Irish people contracted the virus while on holidays recently in the Portuguese Algarve.
Their cases are the first instances of the illness in either the Republic or Britain this year.
The West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and can be fatal in a small number of cases. It can also lead to more serious infections in around one per cent of cases.
