Dengue: 36 indigenous cases reported on mainland France since May 1

Since then, thirty-six local cases of dengue have been discovered on mainland France, that is, those not linked to recent travel to an area of ​​the world where the virus is transmitted from one person to another by tiger mosquitoes. the start of the 2023 monitoring period is May 1.

In its weekly bulletin published on Tuesday, French Public Health (SPF) indicates that 14 cases have been identified in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Paca), 19 in Occitanie, two in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and one in Ilede. -France, where is this for the first time this year.

These local cases mean the person likely became infected locally after being bitten by a tiger mosquito. The presence of these insects has continued to increase for almost 20 years on mainland France, fueled by global warming. This logically leads to an unprecedented increase in the number of dengue cases on the French mainland. In 2022, 66 cases were recorded.

Previously, similar cases were observed in the southern regions, where the climate is a priori more favorable for the tiger mosquito. In 2022, the epidemiological situation with dengue on mainland France was “exceptional,” according to a report published this summer by the French Public Health Service. Just last year, the number of cases of community transmission exceeded the total number of cases identified from 2010-2021 (66 cases compared to 48).

Dengue is a viral disease that causes high fever and, in rare cases, progresses to a more severe form that causes bleeding. Deaths, however, are very rare – about 0.01% of all cases.

Overseas, the Antilles have been in an epidemic phase since mid-August, and health authorities are monitoring the profiles of patients at risk of severe forms, especially those with sickle cell disease. The majority of imported cases occur in Guadeloupe and Martinique.