A person in the province of Utrecht has died after contracting West Nile virus in the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said Wednesday. The person died in hospital.

Mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus, although most people who contract the infection do not develop symptoms. The RIVM says this is the case for around 80 percent of those infected. A spokesperson added that one other person with West Nile virus is currently being treated in a Dutch hospital.

The RIVM stresses that the risk of contracting West Nile virus and developing symptoms in the Netherlands remains very small. Three infections reported so far in 2026 are believed to have been acquired within the country.

One of those cases involved a blood donor, whose infection was announced on August 17. The RIVM believes the person contracted the virus in the Netherlands because they had not recently traveled abroad.

The RIVM has declined to provide further information about the deceased, citing the person’s privacy and respect for their relatives. De Volkskrant reported that the person was elderly. The other patient currently hospitalized with West Nile virus is also reportedly a older person.

A woman from Drenthe also likely died from West Nile virus in early August, GGD Drenthe said. She became infected while traveling in Southeastern Europe, where she also first began experiencing symptoms.

Several horses in the Netherlands have been diagnosed with West Nile virus since the beginning of August, including animals in the Nijmegen area and Zuid-Holland. Authorities are also investigating several other suspected cases to determine whether the horses have been infected.