Albania's Riviera bites after dark. West Nile's big year was 2024.
Evening mosquitoes and night-biting sand flies are the summer story from Himarë to Ksamil, and the sand flies spread leishmaniasis, whose visceral form Albania recorded at Europe's highest rate in 2005–2020. West Nile hit Tirana and the central lowlands hard in 2024 and has been quiet since.
Yes. Albania has mosquitoes all summer, and on the Riviera, from Himarë down to Sarandë and Ksamil, they bite mostly in the evening, joined at night by sand flies that spread leishmaniasis. West Nile had its largest outbreak on record here in 2024, across Tirana and the central lowlands, then went quiet in 2025 and 2026. The CDC recommends no malaria medicine for Albania.
West Nile: a record 2024, then two quiet summers
West Nile is spread by Culex mosquitoes, which bite in the evening and at night, and Albania has a long history with it. Europe's first evidence of human infection came from blood studies there in 1958. In 2024 the country had its largest outbreak ever detected. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) counted 106 cases and 13 deaths, mostly in the central lowlands, with the most in Lushnjë (22), Tirana (15), Berat (14), and Fier and Vlorë (11 each).
Then it went quiet. ECDC listed 3 cases in 2025, in Berat, Elbasan and Lezhë, and 7 in 2026 through October 21, five of them in Korçë, which reported West Nile for the first time, and two in Elbasan. Sarandë district, on the southern Riviera, hasn't appeared in ECDC's tables in any of the three years, and neither has Gjirokastër. West Nile can flare again, as 2024 showed, so wear repellent for evenings outside anywhere in the country.
Riviera nights: mosquitoes and sand flies
The Asian tiger mosquito has history here too. ECDC says its first record in Europe was in Albania in 1979, and it's established. It bites by day, with peaks in the morning and late afternoon, in gardens and shady spots. Most of the Riviera's biting comes later. Mosquitoes tend to be busier in the evening in seaside areas, open countryside and small towns than in Tirana.
The bigger reason for an evening routine is the sand fly. Phlebotomine sand flies are tiny, bite from dusk to dawn and spread leishmaniasis, which the CDC lists for Albania. A 2023 review found infections in animals or people in all 12 of Albania's counties. It gave Albania Europe's highest rate of visceral leishmaniasis, the form that affects internal organs, at 2.15 cases per 100,000 people over 2005–2020, about four times the next group of countries, which includes Greece and Montenegro. The trend was downward, and cases in visitors are rare.
Put repellent on from late afternoon, keep it topped up through dinner outside, and add long sleeves for late evenings. Pick a room with screens or air-conditioning, or run a plug-in vaporizer. After the trip, a skin sore that won't heal or a fever that drags on is a reason to see a doctor. Sand flies in the Balkans are active from about June to October, so an early-fall trip still needs the evening habit, while a May trip comes before their season.
No local dengue, chikungunya or Zika has been reported, though Albania sits outside ECDC's dengue and chikungunya tracking. Hikers heading to Theth or Valbona should check for ticks every day, since the CDC lists tick-borne Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
Where you're going
How the main stops compare for a June–September trip.
The Riviera: Sarandë, Ksamil, Himarë & Butrint
Expect evening mosquitoes in seaside areas and sand flies after dark. Sarandë district had no West Nile cases in ECDC's 2024–2026 tables; Vlorë district, to the north, had 11 in 2024.
Tirana
15 West Nile cases in the 2024 outbreak and none listed for 2025 or 2026. Mosquitoes tend to be fewer than on the coast, and evening repellent covers terrace dinners.
Berat & Gjirokastër
Berat district had 14 West Nile cases in 2024 and 1 in 2025, and Gjirokastër has had none listed. The inland old towns likely see fewer bites than the coast, but carry the evening spray.
Durrës
Bites tend to be heavier outside the city than on the city beach. Durrës district had 4 West Nile cases in 2024 and none since.
Continuing north or south? Our Montenegro briefing covers Kotor and Budva, and our Greece briefing covers the islands and Athens.
The Albania kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless at dinner and easy to reapply after a late swim. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- A plug-in vaporizer for guesthouse and apartment rooms where the windows stay open at night.
- A light long-sleeved layer for late dinners by the sea, when sand flies are out.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads and a review and linked so you can read them in full. Only one is dated, and the coast varies with the week, the wind and where you stay.
- Albania (coast and Tirana) · start of the summer spraying season · 2024
A poster said mosquitoes are present, especially in seaside areas, even though spraying had just begun, and advised precautions for people who react strongly to bites. Another reply found few mosquitoes in Tirana and urged care at beaches, in open countryside and in small towns. TripAdvisor ↗
- Durres
A reply said the city and its beach are fine, but mosquitoes can be a problem outside the city. TripAdvisor ↗
- Lekuresi Castle, Sarande
A reviewer praised the sunset view but noted lots of mosquitoes, and cats, at the castle cafe. TripAdvisor ↗
One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Albania.
Traveler questions
Is West Nile a risk in Albania?
It was in 2024, when the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control counted 106 cases and 13 deaths, the largest outbreak ever detected in Albania, mostly in Tirana and the central lowlands. ECDC listed 3 cases in 2025 and 7 in 2026 through October 21, in Korçë and Elbasan. The mosquitoes that carry it bite in the evening and at night, so repellent for dinners outside covers it. If a new outbreak is in the news, take extra care in Tirana and the central lowlands, especially if you're over 65.
Are there mosquitoes in Sarandë and Ksamil?
Yes. Seaside areas tend to get mosquitoes in the evening, and sand flies bite after dark. Sarandë district hasn't appeared in ECDC's West Nile tables for 2024, 2025 or 2026, but leishmaniasis, spread by sand flies, occurs in every Albanian county. Repellent from late afternoon, long sleeves for late dinners and a screened or air-conditioned room cover it.
What is leishmaniasis, and should I worry?
It's a parasite spread by phlebotomine sand flies, tiny flies that bite from dusk to dawn, and the CDC lists it for Albania. A 2023 review found Albania had Europe's highest rate of the visceral form in 2005–2020, on a downward trend, but cases in visitors are rare. The evening routine cuts sand fly bites. After the trip, see a doctor about a skin sore that won't heal or a fever that drags on.
Do I need malaria pills or a yellow fever vaccine for Albania?
No. The CDC recommends no malaria medicine for Albania, and the yellow fever vaccine is not recommended. You don't need proof of yellow fever vaccination when you fly in from the US. Albania does require it from travelers 1 year or older arriving from a country with yellow fever risk, so check that rule if your route passes through one.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC destination page for travelers
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- World Health Organization
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control