The Regional Health Agencies (ARS) from Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur reported in a press release that a person carrying the West Nile virus (also called “West Nile Virus”) was diagnosed in Nîmes (Gard) on 2 October 2015. This is the first human case in France since 2003 when seven cases were reported in the Var department. The infected person would be in good health today.
Nile virus causes flu-like symptoms
Symptoms caused by West Nile virus resemble those of flu : high fever, diffuse pain, headache and muscle weakness. This disease can in some cases lead to severe neurological complications, encephalitis and can even be fatal.
Watch out for mosquito bites
Several outbreaks of this virus persist in the south of France, mainly affecting horses in the Camargue (in Gard, Hérault and Bouches-du-Rhône). Humans and horses are accidental hosts of the virus, ie they cannot themselves transmit the virus. The person responsible for infections is the mosquito. The authorities therefore recommend that residents remove sources of stagnant water, breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and protect themselves from the bites of these insects. Reducing the presence of mosquitoes in general would also make it possible to limit the risks associated with the tiger mosquito: in September, in Nîmes, the health authorities had reported three cases of dengue feverautochthonous, another infectious disease carried by the insect.
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Tiger mosquito: 41 departments are already affected
Zika virus: a real risk of transmission in Metropolitan France
