a new indigenous case detected in Drôme

In total, seven indigenous cases have been declared in mainland France this year.

An indigenous case of dengue fever in Montélimar, in the Drôme, has been made official. The Regional Health Agency (ARS) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes carried out the procedure, France Bleu Drôme Ardèche learned on Wednesday, August 21. This is the 7th indigenous case in mainland France this year.

Drôme has seen several cases of “imported” dengue fever since the beginning of the year, 6 in the department and 131 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This means that the person was contaminated in a tropical zone and returned infected to mainland France. But this time, it is the first “native” case, that is to say caused by an infected mosquito and which is circulating in mainland France. In Drôme, “The sick person, who was in contact with a family member from Reunion, is now cured“, indicates the ARS.

In total, in mainland France, health authorities have recorded seven indigenous cases of dengue fever. The first indigenous case of the year was made official on July 8 in Hérault, the patient showed the first signs of illness on June 17. Then, on August 2, two other cases were recorded in the Alpes-Maritimes, the first signs of illness appeared on July 26. On August 8, the Gard prefecture announced an indigenous case of dengue fever in Aimargues, with the first signs of illness on July 28. A few hours later, still on August 8, two other indigenous cases of dengue fever were made official in Occitanie, in Baho, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, and in Florac, in Lozère. These last two cases come from the same family who spent their holidays in Lozère and who live in the Pyrénées-Orientales, whose first signs of illness dated from July 16.

Concerning imported cases of dengue fever, a disease brought back from a trip abroad or overseas, Public Health France recorded 1,031 from May 1 to August 13, 2024, “including 909 in departments where the establishment of Aedes albopictus (tiger mosquito) has been documented”. Since the beginning of the year, more than 3,000 cases of dengue fever have been imported into metropolitan France, a record, Public Health France announced on August 9.

As a reminder, dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes to humans, most often benign, which can develop, in about 1% of cases, into a more serious form causing bleeding in particular. Deaths are very rare.