No slowing down on the chikungunya front. In two months, 240 cases were imported into mainland France from the West Indies. The PACA and Rhône-Alpes regions remain the most affected.
Cases of chikungunya imported from the French West Indies continue to flow into mainland France! In fact, in its latest update on chikungunya and dengue, the Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS) reports 676 suspected cases listed in mainland France between May 1 and August 11. And among the confirmed cases, it is chikungunya that comes out ahead.
A risk of an epidemic
A total of 240 people returned to metropolitan France infected with the chikungunya arbovirus after traveling to an endemic area. An increase which is not surprising since the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH) already warned at the end of July on the risk of epidemic in metropolitan France. “All the conditions are met in 18 departments in the south of metropolitan France for transmission of the chikungunya virus and, to a lesser extent, of the dengue virus: a competent vector (the tiger mosquito), a large number of viraemic travelers , climatic conditions favorable to mosquito reproduction and viral replication in mosquitoes, ”the authors of the article underlined.
PACA, Rhône-Alpes and Midi-Pyrénées
Regarding the departments most affected, it is still the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur (PACA) region which remains the most affected by the two viruses transmitted by the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). It has a particularly high counter compared to other French regions, with 264 suspected cases in two months, including 77 confirmed cases of chikungunya. Far behind are the Rhône-Alpes (123 suspected cases) and Midi-Pyrénées (105 suspected cases) regions.
In addition, dengue is also continuing its progression in metropolitan France, with 67 imported cases. That’s seven more than just ten days ago. Finally, 4 dengue-chikungunya co-infections were also reported to regional health agencies.
Source: InVS
“DéCHIKtaj”: the operation to combat chik in Martinique
As a reminder, in order to fight against this risk of “epidemic outbreaks” in the south of France, prevention and surveillance tools are multiplying on the side of the health authorities. In mainland France, an “Anti-dissemination plan for chikungunya and dengue fever” has been put in place. The spawning and colonization of the territory by the tiger mosquito are for example monitored. And suspected cases must be declared, while epidemiological surveillance is reinforced during the sensitive period that is the summer season.
Finally, in Martinique, where the insect is even more prevalent, a vast operation to fight against the mosquito vector of chikungunya was organized this Friday on the whole island, learned The Parisian with local political and health institutions.
Entitled “DéCHIKtaj”, this operation at the initiative of regional and general councils, municipalities, State services and the Regional Health Agency (ARS) mobilized hundreds of actors. They made house calls to locate and destroy mosquito breeding grounds.
In the space of eight months, the chikungunya virus has already affected 115,000 people in the West Indies, and killed 39 people.
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