Five people in Flanders are suspected of having contracted West Nile virus, in what would be the first human infections recorded since the virus was confirmed to be circulating in Belgium in early August.
The Flemish Department of Care said on Friday that the five people live in areas where animal infections have already been reported.
West Nile virus has so far been detected in 25 horses and around 60 birds in Belgium, according to the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.
The suspected human cases would mark a significant development in the spread of the virus, which was only recently confirmed to be circulating in the country.
