Horror in Spain as 'deadly' virus found in tourist hotspot loved by Brits

The potentially deadly West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in mosquitoes caught just metres from people's homes in a Malaga neighbourhood, Spanish health officials have confirmed. The discovery, made in the southern Spanish neighbourhood of Tarajal - just six miles from Malaga's city centre - has forced authorities to declare the area officially "on alert", which will remain in place until at least early November.

Similar warnings have been issued for the village of Tahivilla in Tarifa (Cádiz) and the town of La Luisiana in Seville. The announcement came from Andalusia's Health and Consumer Department after lab results revealed that mosquitoes in the area were carrying the virus. Following an urgent risk assessment looking into how close the infected insects were to population zones, the regional government imposed the four-week alert. The alert can be extended beyond the November 5 deadline if new cases appear or more infected mosquitoes are found. It will mean a ramp-up in monitoring by health teams, both of the local mosquito population and animals that could be affected, including birds and horses, as well as watching closely for any human symptoms.

The virus will not cause any symptoms for the majority of people. However, about one in five will experience a fever, headache, body aches and other flu-like symptoms. According to the UK Health Security Agency, the symptoms typically take two to 14 days to appear after infection and should be gone within three to six days.

Rarely, the WNV infects the nervous system and causes serious brain or spinal cord inflammation, and even death.

A British man from Hampshire - who caught WNV and became seriously ill - has been raising awareness about the issue. Bitten in Goa, India, he is one of seven UK residents who have caught the virus abroad. He said he went from being "a fit and able person" to someone who was "disabled and has to think about what they can and can't do on a day-to-day basis".

"The symptoms presented like a stroke. It was really worrying," he told the BBC. "I had weakness down the left-hand side, palsy on the left-hand side and I got tremors... the weakness and tremors are still there a year on.

In Malaga, schools, care homes and residents in affected areas will be given guidance on how to protect themselves. In Antequera, also in Malaga province, a horse has already tested positive for West Nile Fever - a worrying sign that the virus is actively circulating in southern Spain. Although the infected animal was kept nearly a mile from any houses, the area has still been classed as high-risk.

This news comes as it was revealed that the deadly virus has infected more than 989 people in 13 countries this summer - a sharp increase from what is normal for this period. According to The Sun, at least 63 people have died over the past few months alone, with several popular British tourist hotspots among the worst hit.

According to infection data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC), between June and September, 13 European countries reported 989 cases of West Nile virus, leading to 63 deaths. Most infections were in Italy (714), followed by Greece (91), Serbia (60), France (42), Romania (36) and Spain (23).

In 2025, infection numbers have already surpassed the 10-year average of 687 cases for this period. However, they are still lower than the surges observed in 2018, 2022, and 2024, when over 1,000 infections had been recorded.