“There is still time to fight the tiger mosquito”: two cases of dengue fever detected in Lozère

Deux cas de dengue ont été détectés à Florac. Midi Libre – SCANNER

While two cases of dengue fever have just been detected in Florac-Trois-Rivières, the Lozère Regional Health Agency organized a press conference this Thursday, August 8, 2024, aimed at relaunching its awareness campaign and fight against the tiger mosquito, which is spreading exponentially in Occitania.

The awareness and fight against the tiger mosquito campaign carried out by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Lozère unfortunately comes at just the right time! While a press conference was organized in the Mende offices of the ARS this Thursday, August 8, 2024 with a view to relaunching it, two cases of dengue fever were detected in Florac-Trois-Rivières a few days ago. “This is a couple who lived in both the Pyrénées-Orientales and Florac, so we don't yet know exactly where the contamination took place”, acknowledges Xavier Marette, departmental director of the ARS.

Imminent mosquito control operations

After which, the latter was reassuring by indicating that the state of health of the husband and his wife “no longer inspires today of worry"following medical treatment. Detected on the basis of symptoms related to those of dengue fever, these two cases were confirmed by a PCR test. In order to combat the possible presence of the tiger mosquito in the area, mosquito control operations will be carried out in the coming days in Florac.

These first cases "probably indigenous (*)" of the year in Lozère reflect a strong spread of the tiger mosquito in the region in recent years, attributable to global warming and the globalization of trade. Indeed, 211 cases of imported dengue fever were confirmed in 2023 compared to 56 in 2022, a fourfold increase in Occitanie. Only one small case of dengue fever was attributable to Lozère last year, the lowest total in the region, which has therefore already doubled since the beginning of the year.

Lozère largely spared thanks to its assets

Due to its ability to transmit dengue viruses, but also chikungunya and Zika, the tiger mosquito is subject to increased surveillance by the authorities sanitary facilities during its main period of activity, from May 1 to November 30. This work is coupled with awareness and combat campaigns, like the one relaunched by the ARS of Lozère on this Thursday, August 8, 2024.

"Only 16 municipalities (mainly located in the south of Lozère, even if Mende and Saint-Chély-d’Apcher are part of them, Editor's note) of the department are colonized. This means that it is still possible to fight against the establishment of the tiger mosquito here", harangues the departmental director of the Regional Health Agency. To achieve this, the latter intends to rely on the strengths of the Lozère department in this area, namely “a harsher climate than elsewhere and a low population density”.

But the ARS is also counting on the efforts of citizens, who are invited to report the presence of the insect via the Anses platform and to adopt the right preventive measures. Among them, the most effective for limiting the establishment of the tiger mosquito is the maximum reduction of its nesting sites by eliminating stagnant water.

Simple reflexes to adopt when traveling

When traveling to a tropical area, there are also a few simple reflexes to adopt, such as wearing covering and loose clothing, applying suitable repellent products to exposed skin, or creating air currents – which mosquitoes do not like – using a fan or air conditioning.

If symptoms of dengue fever appear (high fever, severe headache, retro-orbital pain, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes, etc.), which is not guaranteed since some forms of the disease are asymptomatic, they usually begin four to ten days after infection and last two to seven days. In such cases, you should quickly consult your doctor, telling him or her about your travel dates and locations.

Good news! The tiger mosquito only evolves within a radius of 150 meters around it. Once it has been located, it is relatively easy to neutralize it through mosquito control operations such as the one that is about to be carried out in Florac-Trois-Rivières.

(*) In metropolitan France, the majority of cases are imported and concern people who have traveled to territories where these viruses circulate, mainly in the intertropical zone. Back in metropolitan France, if an infected person is bitten by a tiger mosquito, the insect can become a carrier of the virus and can transmit it to a healthy person during a new bite. We then speak of an indigenous case, that is to say a person who has contracted the disease without having traveled. I subscribe to read the rest