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SIX ‘NATIVE’ CASES HAVE BEEN DETECTED IN FRANCE IN THE PAST MONTH, AND HEALTH AUTHORITIES EXPECT MORE TO FOLLOW Three more ‘native’ cases of dengue fever were detected in the south of France

on August 8, bringing the total in the past month to six. More outbreaks are likely to follow, France’s public health authority has announced. Dengue fever is a potentially dangerous

illness characterised by high fever, headaches, nausea and vomiting. In some cases, it can be fatal. It is usually transmitted by tiger mosquitoes biting an infected person and then passing

it on with a bite to another person. Most people with dengue show no symptoms, and many others might mistake it for something else (symptoms are flu like), particularly in places such as

France where the disease is not endemic. It typically follows an incubation period of four to 10 days. Up to four billion people inhabit countries where dengue is considered to be a common

health risk, including vast swathes of South America, South East Asia and East Africa. The disease is not endemic to Europe, but this could be changing as the climate warms up. Read more:

Mosquitoes, hornets, stink bugs: life cycles change as France warms up IMPORTED CASES DUE TO EPIDEMIC ABROAD Many cases of dengue are imported to mainland France by visitors or travellers

returning from abroad, with over 3,000 already reported in 2024 according to public health authority Santé publique France (SpF). “2023 and 2024 were record years, both in France and around

the world, for the number of cases of dengue fever,” announced SpF coordinator Marie-Claire Paty on August 9. “However, the curve of imported cases has been decreasing for the past few weeks

in line with the epidemics in the Antilles and Latin America,” she said. Despite the high number of imported cases and presence of tiger mosquitoes in every region of France, the disease

does not spread as easily here as it does in subtropical climes. RISE IN ‘NATIVE CASES’ When the disease spreads to someone who has not been abroad via a local disease vector, this is known

as a ‘native case’, which could be a sign that dengue is gaining a foothold in France. In 2023, the Paris regional health authority announced that it had identified the first native case of

dengue in the Ile-de France region, with a total of 45 cases diagnosed nationwide. In 2024, the first native case of dengue was identified in Montpellier, Hérault, in July.  Within a month

five more cases were detected, all in the south: two in Paca at La Colle-sur-Loup, Alpes-Maritimes and three in Occitanie, at Florac (Lozère) and Aimargues (Gard). > #Dengue 🦟 Une 

transmission du virus de la dengue autochtone à > Aimargues, chez une personne n’ayant pas voyagé en zone à > risque, a été signalée à l’Agence Régionale de Santé. >  > Pour 

éviter la propagation du virus, des actions préventives sont > dès à présent déployées à #Aimargues… > pic.twitter.com/Pt2STUQzKE > — Préfet du Gard (@Prefet30) August 8, 2024 Ms

Paty suggested that the number of infections is likely to rise. “The risk of transmission is highest in August and September,” she said. “There will likely be other outbreaks in the weeks

ahead.” SpF also announced that it had detected three cases of West Nile, also spread by tiger mosquitoes virus near Toulon. WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DENGUE The Occitanie health

authority (ARS) says people should avoid letting water stagnate near their home in plant pots, gutters or ponds. It says the disease is generally benign. The symptoms are similar to those

of the flu. ARS advises people to contact a doctor if they have any of these symptoms and have recently stayed in the Mas d'Andron area of Aimargues or the Grèzes district of Florac.