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Faced with the increase in tiger mosquitoes on French territory, cases of dengue fever are also increasing. They have never been so important as last year, with different symptoms depending on the patient. Update with Damien Mascret, doctor and journalist on the set of 19/20.
For the majority of people, there are no symptoms once you have had dengue fever. “For the others, almost half of the patients, it is first of all a sudden onset of fever, higher than 38.5°C, and sometimes a peak of 40°C. Then a flu-like syndrome with in particular a severe headache, joint pain and muscle pain, especially in the legs”, says Damien Mascret. People become infected with the tiger mosquito. “If a tiger mosquito bites a sick person during its period of contagiousness, it will then harbor the dengue virus. And after a few days of incubation, you will be sick and contagious for a mosquito in turn”continues the journalist and doctor.
“Dengue fever can be deadly”
Unfortunately, it is also possible to have dengue several times, “We are talking about serotypes. If you have had dengue 3, for example. Certainly, you will be protected for life against serotype 3 but not against the other serotypes: 1, 2 and 4. Worse, the fact that you have had dengue the first time exposes you. Dengue fever can be serious, even fatal, but fortunately, in 99% of cases, dengue fever remains a mild disease”concludes Damien Mascret.
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