ANRS MIE & DZIF Joint Symposium at ESCMID Global 2026
• West Nile Virus (WNV) infection is an endemic mosquito-borne zoonosis in Europe. The disease affects countries in Southern, Eastern and Western Europe.
• ANRS MIE and the DZIF jointly organized the symposium "Shaping the Future of West Nile Virus Research in Europe" as part of ESCMID Global 2026 in Munich in April 2026.
On the occasion of ESCMID Global 2026, ANRS MIE and the DZIF organized a joint symposium dedicated to the future of West Nile virus (WNV) research in Europe.
The scientific organizers included Marylyn Addo of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Vice Chair of the DZIF Executive Board, Germany; Eric D’Ortenzio of ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases, France; and Anna Papa-Konidari of the Aristotle University School of Medicine, Greece.
The symposium brought together experts in virology, entomology, ecology and climate research, clinical research and public health. The overall aim was to establish a joint research agenda capable of supporting earlier detection, strengthening our understanding of the mechanisms involved, and improving epidemic preparedness in Europe.
Topics addressed included the development of aligned research strategies and comparative studies on vector-borne diseases.
The symposium program consisted of four sessions
• Marion Koopmans, Erasmus MC, the Netherlands: “Arboviruses in Europe: framing West Nile virus within an evolving epidemiological and preparedness landscape.”
• Laura Pezzi, National Reference Centre (NRC) for Arboviruses, France: “Paris under threat: a One Health investigation of the 2025 West Nile virus emergence.”
• Christian Drosten, Institute of Virology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany: “Emergence and establishment of WNV in Germany.”
• Luisa Barzon, EU Reference Laboratory for Public Health on Vector-borne Viruses, Italy: “Clinical aspects and management of neuroinvasive West Nile virus infection.”
Epidemiologic context
The West Nile virus (WNV) causes West Nile virus fever, a zoonotic disease. The virus was first isolated in 1937 from a woman in the West Nile Province of the Uganda Protectorate (now the Republic of Uganda). The virus is believed to have been introduced to Europe in the 1960s. France was the first European country to report human WNV infections between 1962 and 1964.
Following a few sporadic outbreaks, the first major outbreak in Europe occurred in 1996 in Romania. Since 2010, there has been an increase in outbreaks and epizootic foci, particularly in Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, where the virus is endemic. 2018 was particularly notable for the largest outbreak ever recorded in Europe. Human cases were reported for the first time in Germany in 2019 and 2020, and in the Netherlands in 2020. In 2024, 19 European countries reported locally acquired human cases of WNV.
This symposium at ESCMID Global 2026 focused on defining the future research priorities for WNV in Europe and emphasized the need for stronger European scientific collaboration. The session convened experts in virology, entomology, ecology and climate research, clinical research, and public health to explore how coordinated, complementary research efforts can accelerate our understanding of WNV dynamics and improve epidemic preparedness specifically in the European context.
A particular focus was placed on France and Germany, where recent increases in WNV circulation highlight shared scientific challenges—from improving genomic surveillance and vector studies to refining clinical characterization, modeling transmission, and evaluating innovative diagnostic and preventive tools. These two countries offer a unique opportunity to develop aligned research strategies and comparative studies that could benefit the broader European landscape of vector-borne diseases.
The symposium’s overall objective was to outline a joint research agenda that can support earlier detection, advance mechanistic knowledge, and inform more effective interventions.
Source: News release of ANRS MIE
