Dengue fever warning after UK woman contracted in outbreak in France | UK News
Researchers have warned that dengue fever is becoming more common in parts of Europe due to climate change.
It comes after a woman from Britain contracted the tropical disease while vacationing in Nice, southern France, in September 2022.
She suffered from fever, headache, muscle pain and a rash for three days, but did not require any further medical treatment.
Their diagnosis was made by Britain’s Rare Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) after they returned home to an emergency room and doctors sent an urgent sample for analysis.
dr Owain Donnelly, of the Tropical Diseases Hospital, said: “This individual was part of an outbreak of over 30 locally transmitted cases in southern France in 2022, underscoring the rapidly changing epidemiology of dengue.
“With climate change, particularly warmer temperatures and more precipitation, and increased global trade and tourism, we may see more parts of Europe with the right combination of factors for dengue outbreaks.
“Monitoring and reporting mechanisms are important to ensure we have an accurate understanding of dengue spread.”
The 44-year-old woman had returned the day before symptoms began and had not traveled to other countries.
Relatives with whom she lived in France also had similar symptoms.
Dengue fever is transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes infected with the dengue virus, typically in tropical regions of Asia, South America and Asia.
However, climate change has led to an increased presence of the Asian tiger mosquito, a vector of the disease, across southern Europe.
Most UK infections with the virus are diagnosed in travelers who have recently visited these regions.
It has flu-like symptoms, but an estimated 75% of cases are asymptomatic and can go undetected.
In severe cases, 1 to 5% of patients will develop potentially fatal severe dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever.
The case was handled by Dr. Donnelly presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen.
Between June and September 2022, the Agence Regionale de Santé (ARS) in France reported three separate outbreaks of dengue virus transmission that had contracted on national territory without patients having traveled abroad.
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