Cyprus had its biggest West Nile year in 2026. Most reported cases were around Nicosia.

Yes. Cyprus has mosquitoes all summer, and 2026 brought its largest West Nile season on record, with 21 cases counted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through October 21. The cases reported by district were mostly in Nicosia district, with one in Larnaca district, and none were reported from Paphos or Limassol. On the coast, the everyday story is day-biting Aedes mosquitoes around Larnaca and Limassol, evening bites in Paphos and sand flies at night.

West Nile: a record year, mostly around Nicosia

West Nile is spread by Culex mosquitoes, which bite in the evening and at night. Cyprus had its first human case in 2016 and an outbreak year in 2019, then 2 cases in 2024 and none in 2025. In 2026 ECDC counted 21 locally acquired cases by October 21, 12 confirmed and 9 probable, the most in its Cypriot records. The season ran late, with cases in the news from September and still being added in October.

ECDC reports Cyprus as a single area, so its tables don't say where people were infected. Press reports of Health Ministry figures in early September put 7 of the 8 confirmed cases in Nicosia district and 1 in Larnaca district, and no cases were reported from Paphos or Limassol. Where the later cases were isn't known.

For a beach trip the risk is small, and the routine is simple. Put repellent on before dinner outdoors, keep it topped up through the evening, and sleep with air conditioning or a plug-in vaporizer running. There is no West Nile vaccine. ECDC reports most cases in men 65 and older, so older travelers have the most reason to keep the evening habit strict, especially in Nicosia in late summer.

Day biters on the coast, sand flies at night

Two Aedes mosquitoes bite in daylight here. Aedes aegypti, the main dengue mosquito, turned up again near Larnaca airport and port in late November 2021, survived the following winter and is now listed by ECDC as established. It bites indoors as well as out, and Larnaca's municipality stepped up mosquito checks and spraying in August 2026, local press reported. The Asian tiger mosquito was confirmed near Limassol's marina and old port in October 2022, after a complaint that May about aggressive daytime biting, and it is established too. Cyprus has never had a local dengue or chikungunya case. Repellent in the morning over sunscreen and again in the late afternoon covers both.

In Paphos and Coral Bay, mosquitoes are around in summer and bites are hit-or-miss, with rooms near ponds or standing water tending to get more. After dark, phlebotomine sand flies add a second shift. They bite from dusk to dawn and spread leishmaniasis, which CDC lists for Cyprus, though the island's rate of the skin form is low, in the same band as Spain and France. Some visitors call them no-see-ums, the name Americans also use for the Caribbean's beach midges, a different insect our Barbados guide covers. Night repellent and a closed, air-conditioned room handle the sand flies too.

Where you're going

How the main stops compare for a June–September trip.

Adding another stop in the eastern Mediterranean? Our Greece, Israel and Türkiye briefings cover the next leg.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor forum threads about Paphos and linked so you can read them in full. None is dated, and bites vary a lot from one person and one property to the next.

• Paphos · July

  Replies said mosquitoes will be around in July and that whether you get bitten is largely luck; a Paphos resident said they would be 'out, ready and waiting'. A long-time visitor who has come in June to September for more than ten years said they had been bitten on every trip. TripAdvisor ↗

• Paphos · summer

  A poster argued that the hot, dry season leaves few breeding sites, so mosquitoes are less of a problem than visitors fear, while others said ponds and standing water near the accommodation bring them in. TripAdvisor ↗

• Paphos

  Posters warned that sand flies or 'no-see-ums' bite as well as mosquitoes and can cause worse reactions. TripAdvisor ↗

And the rule that outlasts every trip: any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Cyprus. The same goes for a skin sore that hasn't healed in the weeks after you get home.

Traveler questions