The number of cases of dengue fever, imported into mainland France, mainly after trips to the Antilles, has already broken the record reached for the whole of 2023, according to data from Public Health France. This disease is transmitted by the tiger mosquito.
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The “Mosquito Vigilance” site published, Thursday May 16, its map of the presence of the insect in France in 2024. It is present in 90% of the territory, with a worrying density in certain areas. You can recognize a tiger mosquito by its white stripes: five white stripes on the legs and a single white stripe on the head and back. This insect is silent and smaller than a penny. It flies so slowly that you can crush it easily.
The tiger mosquito generally occurs at the beginning and end of the day. When it stings, beyond the pain, redness immediately appears with swelling in the center of the sting. Most of the time the bite is mild and disappears in a few days, but it can happen that the mosquito transmits a disease such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya. In fact, when he contracts this disease, it is because he has bitten an already infected person, who generally returns from a trip to tropical areas, where these viruses circulate. Then he in turn contaminates by biting another person. As more and more French travelers go to these regions, the presence of the tiger mosquito is growing in France.
The insect is now officially present on “90% of the territory”, compared to 71% last year. These mosquitoes are very present, well established. More than three quarters of France are red on the map. Seven departments are colored purple, which means that people have been contaminated by viruses on the territory and not abroad. The wave of the tiger mosquito is also reaching the most northern departments, such as Pas-de-Calais, Manche, or Calvados, now on orange alert, where the little creature has been intercepted or observed.
The invasion of tiger mosquitoes is unlikely to stop any time soon, which worries “Mosquito Vigilance”. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games, millions of visitors will come to French territory, which poses a risk of the appearance of imported cases of dengue, chikungunya or Zika. Public Health France also warns of the risks. Over the last four months, the number of cases of dengue imported into mainland France has already broken the record reached in 2023.
