For the first time in New Aquitaine, a patient contracted a dengue and zika virus from being bitten by a tiger mosquito in mainland France.
- Global warming favors the migration and development in France of invasive tropical species such as the tiger mosquito.
- In the event of symptoms of arbovirosis, “it is important to protect yourself against mosquito bites, to limit your movements and to consult your doctor immediately”, indicates the ARS
The drop in temperatures has not eliminated the problem of tiger mosquitoes whose period of activity extends until November. An indigenous case of arbovirosis was confirmed on October 18 in the Landes, reported the regional health agency (ARS) yesterday.
Dengue, Zika or West-Nile are all arboviruses
Arbovirosis is a type of viral disease (dengue, zika virus, West-Nile, etc.) transmitted by tiger mosquitoes which generally affects people who have traveled to risk areas.
This time the patient did not leave the metropolis in the fifteen days preceding the first symptoms, which means that she was infected in the sector by a mosquito carrying the virus, which has yet to be identified. “Additional analyzes will specify at the beginning of November whether it is dengue fever, Zika or another West-Nile type flavivirus (West Nile virus) which is regularly detected in France, in the Mediterranean basin. , indicates the ARS.
Indigenous cases of dengue are on the rise
The patient has flu-like symptoms, fever, headache and body aches. The competent authorities are currently looking for other possible cases, as the disease can declare itself four to seven days after the bite.
In mainland France, autochthonous cases of dengue have reached a record level of 47 reports ; in 2020, there were 14.
Seven areas where the patient went, including three in Gironde (Bordeaux, Le Bouscat and Le Pian-Médoc), will be subject to mosquito control. “Everyone, by adopting simple gestures, must participate in this fight. The tiger mosquito lives within a perimeter of 150m! If it stings you, it is because it was born in your home or around your home!“, remember the ARS who recommends avoiding stagnant water where tiger mosquitoes proliferate.
