France is no longer spared from certain tropical diseases. The risk of epidemics of dengue, chikungunya, or even zika could increase in the next five years.
Beware of the risk of a tropical disease epidemic in France! The French National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) is sounding the alarm, following consultations with stakeholders in the field and based on scientific knowledge. The public institution is also warning of the lack of resources to deal with the situation.
Dengue, chikungunya, Zika…
In the next 5 years, an arbovirosis epidemic has a probability of occurring between 6 and 7, on a scale of 0 to 9, according to ANSES experts.
The cause: the tiger mosquito, now present in 78 departments of France. This insect is behind the increase in cases of indigenous dengue fever and chikungunya across the Atlantic.
We can mention, more precisely, the fifty cases of dengue fever last year, the 66 the year before and the numerous localized outbreaks but brought under control in 2024. Let us remember that it has always been possible to trace the origin of the contaminations.
Except that in the event of an epidemic, warns ANSES, the prevention and control systems could quickly become saturated and the health system is likely to find itself under strain; this is even more the case if one epidemic coincides with another, as was the case in Guadeloupe in 2020, with dengue fever and Covid-19.
The agency therefore recommends adapting material, financial and human resources to a possible epidemic situation. It also recommends using our overseas experiences in this area to anticipate and train caregivers.
