Dengue: Anti-mosquito operation launched in France after new case
The infected person had travelled to a high-risk tropical area before returning to France
Dengue fever is spread by mosquitoes, especially tiger mosquitoes, which are becoming increasingly common in France. The infected person in Grand Est had travelled to an at-risk area
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Authorities in north-east France have launched a new anti-mosquito campaign and issued recommendations to local residents after a new case of dengue fever was reported in the region.
The communes of Weyersheim, and Hoerdt (Bas-Rhin, Grand Est), were ‘de-mosquitoed’ last night (August 27) and will be treated again tonight (August 28), subject to weather conditions.
“Following the identification of a case of dengue fever in a person who has travelled to a tropical country where the disease is present, a mosquito control operation is scheduled,” said the Prefecture of Bas-Rhin, in a joint press statement released on August 25, in partnership with the regional health agency (ARS) and the municipality of Hoerdt.
The operation aims to destroy and prevent the spread of mosquitoes that could potentially be carrying the disease. This is because the disease spreads through mosquitoes - especially tiger mosquitoes. If one bites an infected person, and then bites someone else, the infection carries over.
Read more: Latest on tiger mosquitoes in France: where, what risk and what to do
Read also: Tiger mosquitoes now in Normandy, last region of France to escape them
The treatment is done at night to avoid disruption as much as possible. Residents in the affected streets are warned to:
Stay inside buildings
Close windows during the operation
Rinse garden furniture with water afterwards
Bring in pet water and food bowls
The local ARS warned that the most common symptoms of dengue are “high fever, headaches, aches and pains, nausea, and skin rashes”. The symptoms are usually mild and disappear within one or two weeks, but some can suffer from a severe form of the illness, and require hospital treatment.
In this case, the person is doing well, and had been in the communes of Hoerdt and Weyersheim before they were identified as being infected with dengue.
They had previously travelled to an area normally at high risk of dengue fever, and contracted it there (such places include Central and South America, and the Caribbean, including the French overseas territories).
Read also: Surge in imported dengue fever cases to France from overseas
This is in contrast to ‘native’ cases, in which a patient is found to have become infected on French soil, without having travelled to a high-risk area. Such ‘native’ cases are rare, but have been increasingly reported in France in recent years.
Read also: 'Native' case of dengue fever in Hérault, first in France in 2024
