(ANSA) - ROME, SEPT. 5 - An "unusually high" number of cases of West Nile virus was recorded this year in Europe: 975, of which 710 in the European Union and 265 in neighboring countries. The number was three times the figure in 2017. Italy is the country that has recorded the highest number of infections in humans so far (327). The news was reported by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) in its latest bulletin. Apart from Italy, the highest number of infections were registered in Serbia (213), Greece (147), Romania (117), Hungary (96), followed by Israel (49), France (11), Austria (8), Croatia (3), Kosovo (3) and Slovenia (1). The ECDC reported that the total number of cases is 3/4 times the figure in 2017. The final total of people killed by the virus was 63, distributed among Serbia (21), Greece (16), Italy (13), Romania (12) and Kosovo (1) and the proportion of fatal cases has not increased compared with the previous six years, the ECDC underlined. (ANSA).