THE ESSENTIAL
- The tiger mosquito is gray and black with white stripes on the legs.
- It can bite a human several times until its stomach is full, which is equivalent to two or three microliters of blood.
- From May 1 to August 26, 2022, 123 imported cases of dengue were identified in mainland France according to Santé Publique France.
The Regional Health Agency (ARS) Occitanie confirmed this Friday, September 2 : a new case of dengue has been confirmed in Haute-Garonne. This is the third indigenous case recorded in the Occitanie region since the beginning of the year, which means that the people who contracted the disease had not traveled to the contaminated area in the 15 days preceding the onset of symptoms. . According to the ARS press release, “health status (of this last infected person) do not inspire concern”.
The Americas, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific
According Public health France, dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, also called tiger mosquitoes, when they bite. Usually, this pathology is not present in France, which is why we speak of an autochthonous case. Currently, the most affected areas in the world are the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
A mild illness
The symptoms of dengue fever are similar to those of the flu, that is to say a high fever, joint pain or severe headaches. They usually last between two and seven days. In many cases, this illness remains mild, but in some people it can cause an acute, flu-like form with, sometimes, life-threatening complications. We are talking regarding severe dengue fever.
no treatment
For now, there is no specific treatment for classic or severe dengue fever. According the world health organization (OMS) “early detection of signs of progression to severe dengue and access to appropriate medical care can reduce the mortality rate from severe dengue to less than 1%”.
No more than 150 meters
To limit the risk of transmission of this virus via tiger mosquito bites, health authorities can set up mosquito control operations. There was one this week in Haute-Garonne.
But ARS Occitanie also encourages the population to protect themselves at home because “the mosquito that often bites you does not fly more than 150 meters from its place of appearance”.
Remove standing water
To avoid proliferation, you must first remove all standing water because this is where the larvae develop. Then, outdoors, it is best to wear loose clothing and apply mosquito repellent sprays because all the classic repellent products work to drive away the tiger mosquito.
Finally, one last piece of advice: stay indoors as much as possible between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., when the tiger mosquito is most active.
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