Scabies, scurvy, tuberculosis… These old diseases, far from belonging to the past, are making a comeback in our country. Other exotic diseases take hold there. Explanations.
Tiger mosquito and dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika
The West-Nile virus is in Nice
While some French doctors no longer knew them and they were believed to be present only in medical history books or in distant countries, certain diseases are reappearing such as scabies, measles or even tuberculosis.
Other exotic diseases are taking hold there (dengue fever, chikungunya, bilharziasis, West-Nile) and perhaps tomorrow Zika, the plague and cholera. Precariousness, refusal of vaccines, travel, migration: the reasons for this reappearance are numerous. France is changing its health policies.
Scabies is back in force
According to the High council for public health, the number of cases of scabies has increased by 10% since 2002: there are now 328 cases per 100,000 people. This disease is caused by a mite insect that feeds and lays its eggs in the skin. This results in very scratchy skin lesions, often with scratching lesions.
It is community environments that are conducive to the spread of scabies, such as schools or retirement homes for example.
The return of scurvy
The disease of “long-distance sailors” is also back in France: in 2015, ten cases were identified by researchers at the Limoges University Hospital alone. Potentially fatal, the disease is due to a deficiency in vitamin C, itself secondary to an insufficient intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is therefore often the most precarious people who are victims of this “poor diet”.
In the case of the limousine study, some of the people suffering from scurvy were unemployed, others alcoholics, some suffered from cancer and others suffered from a psychiatric illness.
Measles: vaccination, the only way to protect yourself
Until 2016, the number of measles cases was steadily decreasing, but since the end of 2017, the disease has resurfaced in France, with a particularly virulent focus in New Aquitaine. 2,741 cases have been recorded per Public Health France between November 6, 2017 and July 29, 2018. According to this organization, the lack of vaccination is the cause of this upsurge.
Only 79% of infants are vaccinated, yet the vaccination coverage necessary for group protection in the population is 95%. A person affected can infect up to 20 people on their own and vaccination is the only way to prevent the disease. Since January 1, 2018, infants must therefore be vaccinated to have access to crèches.
Some regions affected by tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is also one of those diseases that we thought had almost disappeared in France. However, every year people fall ill, mainly in Guyana and Mayotte, but not only. Ile-de-France is also affected and the risk of a serious infection in people immunocompromised by age or treatment is real.
Homeless people are particularly at risk: there are on average 167 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in this population. A vaccine exists and is recommended for children exposed to a risk of tuberculosis in their surroundings.
A cholera epidemic in Algeria
With 61 confirmed cases and 2 deaths to date, the cholera epidemic in Algeria is now under control. Its sole focus is a natural source of water, contaminated in Hamr Al Ain, on the coastal strip between the cities of Algiers and Tipaza.
The French Ministry of Health remained discreet on the subject, but would have raised its level of alert. Advice is given to travelers and vigilance instructions have been given to airlines operating connections between France and Algeria: they must disinfect planes if they carry a passenger with vomiting and diarrhea.
Travel advice remains classic: wash your hands, eat cooked food, avoid even washed fruits and vegetables, drink encapsulated drinks and avoid ice cream and ice cubes.
The plague has worsened in Madagascar
The recent plague outbreak that flared up in Madagascar was worrying for specialists as it was highly unusual.
Unusual first of all because of its scale: 2,348 Malagasy people were infected with the bacterium Yersinia pestis against 300 cases usually each year, and among them, 202 succumbed to the disease.
Contrary to previous years, three-quarters of the sick this year suffered from the pulmonary form of the plague, which is much more contagious, more serious and more deadly than the bubonic form. Finally, the 2017 plague epidemic in Madagascar was almost general and it also affected the big cities, in particular the capital, Antananarivo, while it only affected rural areas in other years.
The Institut Pasteur is responsible for monitoring this recurring infection.
Bilharzia persists in Corsica
Bilharziasis is a parasitic disease caused by a hematophagous worm, Schistosoma haemotobium. Since 2014, this parasite has settled in Corsica, in the Cavu and Solenzara rivers, a river which is still under surveillance.
At least 120 cases of infections have been recorded since, including one in 2016. Urogenital bilhaziosis exposes to serious urinary and genital risks.
Tiger mosquito and dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika
Every year, cases of dengue fever or imported chikungunya are reported in the south of France. They trigger systematic mosquito control operations against the Tiger mosquito around the infected outbreak (6 operations since the beginning of May 2018).
But this insect, which is the natural vector of these viruses (and Zika), is also present in Ile-de-France and in the Grand-Est and it is not enough to protect yourself from it at night: it also bites the day.
The West-Nile virus is in Nice
Eleven people have been infected with the West-Nil virus in the Alpes-Maritimes since July 7, according to the ARS of this region. Ten people have been cured and are now in good health. A patient remains hospitalized, affected by a more serious neuro-invasive form.
These cases testify to earlier and greater circulation than usual in Europe, particularly in Italy and Greece.
France is not the only country affected by a return of old diseases and the appearance of new ones. We now live in a globalized world which raises fears of the next pandemic.
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