2023-10-18 11:48:00
October 18, 2023, 1:48 p.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Tropical infectious diseases in Europe? Outbreaks of chikungunya fever are currently being observed in Italy. The cause is Asian tiger mosquitoes – which are also spreading in this country. So should we expect that the fever will come to Germany? FITBOOK medicine editor Melanie Hoffmann explains how experts from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) assess the situation.
The Chikungunya virus, which causes the fever of the same name, is transmitted by mosquitoes. In addition to the bites of the Asian tiger mosquito already mentioned, those of the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) are also dangerous in this regard. The most important measure to prevent the disease is protection from mosquitoes. This was previously quite easy for us because the insects are native to subtropical and tropical regions, but this has now changed.1 The reason is the increasing spread of mosquitoes in Europe. This was particularly bad in Italy this summer. Due to exceptionally high temperatures, there were real mosquito plagues in various regions. And ultimately to cases of Chikungunya fever.
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How does Chikungunya fever manifest itself?
It takes seven to nine days from the bite to the outbreak; in rarer cases it can happen following just three or twelve days. The good news: The disease is usually harmless. More severe symptoms can occur in newborns, older people and people with chronic illnesses. The acute phase lasts around seven to ten days. Symptoms include sudden joint pain in the hands and feet, fever and a rash. Those affected may also suffer from loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Bruises in the skin can also be a side effect of Chikungunya fever, but are harmless.2
Since there is no medication for Chikungunya fever, the symptoms that occur are treated if you become ill. Recovery can take months and in rare cases even years and can be accompanied by joint pain. Anyone who survives the fever is immune to the chikungunya virus for life.
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The situation in Italy
As in the Italian news portal “V: Notizie“The fifth case of chikungunya fever was recently recorded in Italy. After the first three cases were identified in the Veneto region, a fourth case occurred in Sansepolcro (Arezzo province) in Tuscany. And now a fifth case is now in Veneto, more precisely in the city of Trieste.
An outbreak of tropical fever disease had already occurred in Italy in 2007. This also marked the first appearance of Chikungunya fever in Europe. 200 people became ill from it. Cases occurred in France in 2010 and 2014, but remained at two and twelve cases respectively.3
Against this background, the Federal Foreign Office also provides specific information regarding Chikungunya fever on its travel and safety information page for Italy (as of October 18, 2023).4
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Can the Chikungunya virus also come to Germany?
There are currently no known infections with the Chikungunya virus in Germany. However, this is potentially possible, according to the RKI’s Epidemiological Bulletin 22/2023. The institute’s experts confirm that the Asian tiger mosquito is also spreading more and more in Germany and explain: “It can (…) transmit the chikungunya, dengue or Zika virus to people if they have previously transmitted these viruses from infected travelers returning from endemic areas recorded.”5
Particularly in summer, outbreaks of exotic diseases such as chikungunya fever are increasingly expected. Climate change also makes cases of dengue fever more likely. The West Nile virus, which is also transmitted by mosquitoes, has already arrived in Germany, more precisely in East Germany, where it is rampant seasonally in an endemic area.
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