Six people have so far been infected with West Nile virus in Cyprus, while another two suspected cases are under investigation, the health ministry told the Cyprus Mail on Thursday.

“We are not on alert but continue to monitor the situation closely,” the ministry said.

Three of those infected are currently being treated in hospital, while an elderly patient with an underlying health condition has died.

None of the patients had a recent history of travel, suggesting the infections were locally acquired through mosquito bites.

“There is no such thing as person-to-person infection,” the ministry said, stressing that the virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito and cannot be passed directly between people.

The ministry said it was taking all necessary measures to contain the spread of the virus, including tracking cases, carrying out mosquito-control spraying around the homes of those infected and identifying nearby water sources where mosquitoes may be breeding.

“We are expecting one to two more cases to be confirmed throughout the day,” the ministry said.

The first case was confirmed in mid-August, when a 74-year-old man tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the intensive care unit at Nicosia general hospital.

As of Tuesday, the ministry had confirmed four cases, with health ministry deputy director Elizavet Constantinou saying at the time that the situation remained “under control”, as the number of infections had not resulted in a significant increase in hospitalisations.