Since May 1, 489 suspected cases of dengue or chikungunya have been reported to the National Institute for Public Health Surveillance (Invs). Of these reported cases, 54 imported cases of dengue have been confirmed as well as 174 imported cases of chikungunya. In addition, three cases of people co-infected with the two diseases have been identified.
All the people affected by these two diseases contracted them during a trip to an endemic zone (imported cases). And to date, no indigenous case has been reported within metropolitan areas.
The PACA region remains the most affected
The main affected regions are Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (74 cases), Languedoc-Roussillon (43 cases), the Rhône-Alpes region (53 cases). They are followed by the Midi-Pyrénées regions (31 cases) and Aquitaine (29 cases).
Outside mainland France, the most alarming case is undoubtedly that of Guyana, where a 47% increase in confirmed or probable biological cases was observed during the first week of July compared to the previous week.
The chikungunya virus, which has been circulating since December 2013 throughout the Caribbean, has already affected 115,000 people in the French Antilles. The Invs has also recorded 23 deaths caused by chikungunya.
Visiting Guadeloupe and Martinique last week, the Minister of Health Marisol Touraine, announced that the treatment (anti-pain and fever drugs) would be one hundred percent supported by Health Insurance.
