The Central Veterinary Laboratory in Algete has confirmed the presence of the virus in three equines housed at the same facilities. Authorities are continuing to investigate other animals with suspected cases at the equestrian center.
The Canary Islands have registered their first confirmed cases of West Nile Fever (WNF) after tests carried out by the Central Veterinary Laboratory (LCV) of Algete, the national reference laboratory, detected the virus in three horses housed in the same equestrian center in the south of Gran Canaria.
The confirmation has been communicated by the General Directorate of Health of Agri-food Production and Animal Welfare, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), within the update of the epidemiological situation of West Nile Fever in Spain.
Neurological symptoms triggered the alert
The detection occurred through the passive surveillance system, after a clinical veterinarian observed neurological symptoms compatible with the disease in the animals and reported it to the Official Veterinary Services of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.
The appearance of these signs prompted the taking of samples and their subsequent analysis at the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete, where the infection by the West Nile Fever virus was finally confirmed in the three equines.
Health authorities are also investigating other suspected cases detected at the same equestrian center, so the possibility remains that more affected animals may be identified at the facilities.
The confirmation means that the Canary Islands are now among the autonomous communities where the virus has been detected during the 2026 season. Until now, it had been detected in equines or birds in Andalusia, Catalonia and Extremadura.
A virus transmitted primarily by mosquitoes
West Nile fever is a viral disease whose transmission cycle is closely related to certain species of birds and mosquitoes, especially those belonging to the Culex genus.
Wild birds are the main reservoirs of the virus, while mosquitoes can acquire it by feeding on infected birds and subsequently transmit it through their bites.
Horses and humans can be accidentally infected. In most people, the infection is asymptomatic or causes mild symptoms, although a small percentage may develop severe neurological forms. Equines can also experience neurological symptoms of varying severity.
Horses do not transmit the virus directly to people
One of the key aspects in the detection of the first cases in the Canary Islands is that the disease is not transmitted directly from horses to people, nor through regular contact with affected animals.
Equines and humans are considered accidental hosts or "epidemiological dead ends," since the amount of virus present in blood is usually not enough to infect new mosquitoes and thus maintain the epidemiological cycle.
Therefore, the detection of infected animals functions primarily as a signal of virus circulation in the environment, while the main route of transmission to people continues to be the bite of infected mosquitoes.
The epidemiological investigation now remains focused on the equestrian center in southern Gran Canaria, where the remaining animals with clinical suspicion are being studied to determine the extent of this first confirmed episode of West Nile Fever in the Canary Islands.
