OREANDA-NEWS There have been no cases of importation of the equine Western encephalitis virus from Argentina in Russia, where 12 cases of infection with this virus have been recorded, Rospotrebnadzor reported on Friday.

"There have been no cases of importation of equine Western encephalitis virus in the Russian Federation, the situation is under control. Rosportebnadzor specialists are monitoring the situation at checkpoints across the state border," the press service of the department told reporters.

It is noted that according to the Ministry of Health of Argentina, there have been 12 cases of human infection with equine occidental encephalitis (ZEL) in the country, one of the patients died. Most of the cases in Argentina are men between the ages of 30 and 72, but the disease was also diagnosed in a 9-month-old child. All patients have been hospitalized and are receiving medical care.

Rospotrebnadzor clarified that ZEL is a rare disease caused by a virus that spreads through mosquito bites, it mainly infects horses, but can also be transmitted from an animal to a human. The virus is not transmitted from person to person. Symptoms include fever, sudden headaches, fatigue, chills, and general malaise, which usually go away after seven to ten days. The incubation period in humans ranges from two to 10 days. Most people do not experience any symptoms.

As noted in the department, "in order to timely identify possible cases of importation, information about this disease has been entered into the AIS Perimeter database.