This Wednesday, September 6, 2023, a case of indigenous dengue fever was detected in Perpignan.
- Dengue fever is a generally mild illness with symptoms similar to those of the flu.
- A first case of indigenous dengue fever was reported in Perpignan.
- The patient was taken care of and her state of health does not cause concern.
A person living in Perpignan was diagnosed with the dengue virus despite not having recently traveled, a condition implying that the disease was transmitted by a tiger mosquito. “This case of indigenous dengue fever is the first recorded this year in Occitania since the start of the surveillance season (May 1)”, indicates the ARS of the region in a press release.
The patient was taken care of and her state of health does not cause concern.
Preventive actions deployed against the case of indigenous dengue fever
“Faced with this case of indigenous dengue fever and to avoid the spread of the virus, preventive actions are being deployed in Perpignan in the area of the West Cemetery and Avenue d’Espagne,” adds the ARS. They translate into:
– Targeted mosquito control action to eliminate larval breeding grounds and adult mosquitoes in the sick person’s places of residence and passage.
– A local epidemiological survey of the neighborhood, in order to identify possible other sick people and the imported case at the origin of the transmission.
– Raising awareness among health professionals in the sector about reporting new cases of dengue fever to the ARS.
What are the symptoms of dengue?
Dengue fever is a generally mild illness whose symptoms, similar to those of the flu (high fever, joint pain, severe headache), can be temporarily disabling.
“I woke up during the night from Saturday to Sunday with a headache. I also had pain in my eyes and sockets as well as aches. I felt like I was cold inside my body and hot outside”, Sylvie recounted in Why Doctor not long ago. “When you have dengue, you sweat and then you feel cold… it’s as if the body goes through several stages in a few seconds,” she remembers. “You’re really not well. I spent all the time sleeping. That was the only thing that worked”, she testifies.
Viral diseases and the Tiger Mosquito
Installed since 2004 in France, the Tiger Mosquito (also called Aedes albopictus) can also be the vector of other viral diseases (chikungunya and zika). In the Occitanie region, all departments are considered colonized.
