First indigenous case of dengue fever in Île-de-France highlights growing risk in mainland France

2023-10-17 19:33:20

An indigenous case of denguethat is to say probably transmitted on site by a mosquito, was recorded for the first time in Île-de-France, health authorities announced on Tuesday, unprecedented for such a northern region of metropolitan France.

The region’s Regional Health Agency (ARS) confirmed in a press release that this was the “first indigenous case of dengue fever in Île-de-France”. The case was identified in Limeil-Brévannes (Val de Marne), regarding fifteen kilometers southeast of Paris.

Multiplication of indigenous cases

An “indigenous case” means that the person has not recently traveled to areas of the world, such as the West Indies, where this virus widely circulates transmitted from person to person by tiger mosquitoes.

This means that the person was probably infected on site following being bitten by one of these mosquitoes, whose presence has continued to increase for almost 20 years in mainland France in a context facilitated by global warming.

This logically leads to an unprecedented increase in indigenous cases of dengue fever in mainland France: 66 in 2022 and already around thirty for the current year. These cases were previously observed in southern regions, with a climate a priori more favorable to the tiger mosquito. The case mentioned by the ARS Île-de-France is therefore the first in a region so far north.

“Exceptional” situation

In 2022, the epidemiological situation with regard to dengue in mainland France was “exceptional”, according to a report published this summer by Public Health France. Indigenous transmissions last year alone exceeded the total number of cases identified over 2010-2021 (66 cases, compared to 48).

Dengue is a viral disease which results in high fever with, in rare cases, progression to a more serious form causing bleeding. Deaths, however, are very rare – around 0.01% of all cases.

In OverseasTHE Antilles have been in an epidemic phase since mid-August, and health authorities are monitoring profiles at risk of serious forms, particularly patients with sickle cell anemia.

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