The Features of West Nile Fever Epidemiological Situation in the World and Russia in 2013 and Prognosis of Its Development in 2014

Epidemiological situation on West Nile Fever (WNF) in Europe in 2013 was characterized by a notable rise of morbidity rate primarily due to the outbreak of WNF in Serbia (302 cases registered). In the North America, in the United States and Canada, WNF manifestations in 2013 were characterized by the lower intensity compared to previous epidemic season. 192 cases were registered in 16 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2013. It was revealed, that genotype 2 West Nile Virus (WNV) circulated in the territory of the Volgograd and Saratov regions, the same as in Serbia, Greece and Italy, and genotype 1 WNV in the Astrakhan region. According to the data obtained from the Reference Center for monitoring over WNV pathogen, WNV markers were detected in the territory of 61 constituent entities of the Russian Federation throughout the period of observation in 1999-2013 which testified to the existence of potential risk of human exposure during epidemic season in most of the parts of country. According to Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring forecast, climatic conditions in Russia for the next 5-10 years will stick to global warming trend which will contribute to further spread of WNV onto the northern areas.