Greek journalist Antonis Panoutsos intubated in ICU with West Nile virus as cases reach 157

Hospitalization and medical complications

Greek sports journalist Antonis Panoutsos remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. The 78-year-old broadcaster was admitted to the emergency department on Friday, 17 July 2026, after developing a high fever at his home in Chalandri shortly before a planned summer vacation. Doctors initially identified an infection in a specific organ system before laboratory tests confirmed West Nile virus with clinical signs of encephalitis. He had no underlying medical conditions at the time of admission. On Saturday, 18 July 2026, Panoutsos suffered a septic episode accompanied by acute deterioration in kidney function. Medical staff moved him to the intensive care unit on Sunday, 19 July 2026, where he has remained intubated for more than 30 days while receiving constant monitoring for complications.

Career in sports journalism and public life

Panoutsos was born in 1948 in Kallipoli, Piraeus, with family roots on the island of Hydra. Over a decades-long career in Greek sports media, he wrote and edited for publications including Fos ton Spor, O Filathlos, To Vima, and Sportday, and presented on the radio station SPOR FM. He gained broader public recognition through his long-running television and radio broadcast partnerships with journalist Antonis Karpetopoulos. In November 2018, Panoutsos entered politics as a parliamentary candidate for New Democracy in the West Athens (B2) electoral district for the 2019 national elections, though he did not win a seat. In November 2019, he took up an appointment as a special advisor for programming design within the General Directorate of Information at the state broadcaster ERT.

West Nile virus outbreak across Greece

The hospitalization coincides with a rising number of West Nile virus infections in Greece during the 2026 summer transmission season. Public health records show that 157 domestic cases and 13 deaths have been confirmed nationwide through 19 August 2026. The highest concentration of domestic infections has appeared in the Eastern Attica regional unit. The virus circulates primarily between mosquitoes and wild birds, with humans contracting the pathogen through mosquito bites rather than person-to-person transmission. Health authorities monitor regional mosquito populations and infection rates, as weather patterns featuring high ambient temperatures and rainfall support vector breeding cycles across urban and rural zones.

European infection patterns and surveillance

European surveillance data compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through 21 August 2026 ranks Greece second in Europe for both total infections and affected territorial units. Italy leads the continent with 311 locally acquired cases spread across 46 administrative regions, followed by Greece with 157 cases across 17 regions. The ECDC report notes that seven of Greece's cases have unidentified transmission locations. Spain ranks third with 63 cases across three regions, followed by North Macedonia with 37 cases, Romania with 28 cases, and France with 17 cases. Serbia has logged six cases, the Netherlands two, while Albania, Austria, Germany, and Kosovo have each recorded one locally acquired infection. Epidemiologists note that European West Nile transmission typically peaks between August and early September, with further local cases expected in the weeks ahead.