More than 600 new imported cases of dengue have been recorded in mainland France since May 1

Between May 1 and June 18, a total of 601 imported cases were matched in France, Public Health France announced in a bulletin published Wednesday June 19. 60% of these cases were imported from Guadeloupe or Martinique, specifies the health agency. Between January 1 and April 30, 2,166 imported cases had already been counted in mainland France. These new cases bring the total to 2,800 cases, breaking the record for the number of imported cases in all of 2023 (2,019 cases).

On the other hand, on June 18, “no episode of indigenous transmission has been detected”, that is to say contracted in mainland France by people who have not traveled to a virus circulation zone, notes Public Health France. In 2023, France had recorded around fifty indigenous cases of dengue fever, transmitted by a mosquito present on site, after a record of 66 in 2022.

With the Paris Olympic Games, and while the tiger mosquito is present in the vast majority of French departments, the authorities and epidemiologists predict an even greater circulation of the virus during the summer, due to the influx of numerous travelers .

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