Spraying operations continue across municipalities and the Attica Region as authorities intensify efforts to combat mosquitoes amid a growing outbreak of West Nile Virus in Greece. Nikos Malathritis, Deputy Mayor of Technical Services for the Municipality of Petroupoli, was present at a spraying site on Monday morning (August 24) and described the measures being taken to the Orange Press Agency.
West Nile Virus: “The municipality of Petroupoli has been carrying out spraying operations for four months”
“The municipality of Petroupoli has been conducting repeated spraying operations for four months now — targeting manholes, parks, public squares, traffic islands, and playgrounds to combat mosquitoes. In addition, we have drained and shut down all three fountains in our city to eliminate any standing water,” he stated.
Describing the progress of the program, he added: “We are currently in the fourth phase, with three more rounds of spraying still to go. Our teams can cover the entire city within three days, and spraying takes place every twenty days. We have had one confirmed case — unfortunately, one of our residents fell ill. Thankfully, they are in good condition, which is why we took additional steps such as draining the fountains. The spraying program had already been scheduled since early May.”
He also issued an appeal to residents to remain vigilant: “Since mosquitoes are not stationary and can travel from other areas, we have issued public announcements advising citizens on personal protection measures — especially during the evening hours. These include wearing long-sleeved clothing, using window screens, applying insect repellent, and taking any other precautions to avoid being bitten. There is concern among the public, but we are also communicating through the municipality’s website that the virus does not spread from person to person. With the measures we are implementing in cooperation with the municipality, we hope to stop the spread here and eradicate it.”
The virus is in an escalation phase
It is worth noting that, as Professor of Microbiology at the University of Athens Medical School, Athanasios Tsakris, has emphasized, both the total number of samples tested and the number of positive results are significant — particularly in Eastern Attica. As of August 19, a total of 157 domestically acquired cases and 13 deaths had been recorded since the beginning of the current season. In just one week alone, 47 new cases and four deaths were confirmed, while 42 patients remained hospitalized — 23 of them in ICU and high-dependency units.
