By Laurent REBOURS
Published on
May 1, 24 at 8:20
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The enhanced surveillance season vector diseases (i.e. transmitted by a vector) and the tiger mosquito begins the May 1, 2024 announces the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Health Agency.
The ARS takes the opportunity to, once again, call for a increased vigilance while remembering good practices to fight against the tiger mosquito in France. You should know in fact that the year 2023 was marked by a notable increase of the presence of the tiger mosquito in the region Center-Val de Loire.
The number of municipalities multiplied by two in Centre-Val de Loire
If no new department has been colonized, the number of municipalities in which it is now present was multiplied by two between July and October.
Each year the enhanced surveillance period begins on May 1 in mainland France. It involves follow the implementation of the tiger mosquito and to carry out investigations for each case of arbovirosis in order to avoid as much as possible the risk of epidemic transmission.
In 2024, the number of imported cases of dengue fever in France, reported via mandatory declaration, will reach figures unprecedented since 2023.
Between January 1 and March 26, 2024 and while the data was not consolidated for the last weeks, 1,038 cases of imported dengue fever were notified in mainland France, compared to 76 over the same period in 2023. 83% of these cases were returning from Martinique or Guadeloupe, where an epidemic has been underway since mid-2023. For our region alone, 110 cases of imported dengue fever were reported in the 1st quarter of 2024 in Centre-Val de Loire.
Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases
The risk of local circulation of viruses appearing dengue feverchikungunya or Zika from an imported case is limited to the period of activity of the tiger mosquito, currently from May to November in France. But this period could lengthen in the future thanks to climate change.
This risk is now increased given the significant increase in the number of imported cases from epidemic areas (West Indies and Guyana notably).
What is this reinforced surveillance for?
Preventing the risk of importation and dissemination of viruses such as dengue is done through the intervention of vector control services around places frequented by human cases of dengue.
Vector control is based on surveillance carried out both through reports from citizens and through a network of around 340 traps spread across the regional territory to detect the presence of the tiger mosquito.
The signals thus collected make it possible to follow the progress of the vector but also to identify areas at risk of transmission. Which ultimately makes it possible to facilitate rapid intervention by vector control services to implement mosquito control measures adapted to limit the risk of indigenous transmission of these diseases.
The fight against viruses transmitted by the tiger mosquito is everyone’s business. By acting on their direct environment and adopting precautionary measures to limit the risk of being bitten, everyone can contribute to the fight against vector-transmitted diseases. by mosquitoes. No measure is 100% effective; it is the sum of all these individual and collective measures that makes it possible to reduce transmission.
Fast, silent, the tiger mosquito bites during the day
The mosquito vector of dengue is the tiger mosquito, recognizable because of the black and white stripes which run through its body and legs.
It is small (around 5mm). Fast and rather quiet, it bites during the day (especially in the morning and late afternoon). It’s a mosquito mainly urban and which moves around little “since it lives within a radius of 150 meters: the mosquito that bites you was therefore born in your neighborhood! »
If you have to travel
Most of the time, dengue fever has few or no symptoms (you can temporarily carry the virus without knowing it). For travelers, it is strongly recommended to:
■ Find out before departure about diseases circulating in the country(ies) of destination;
■ Protect yourself against mosquitoes, particularly in areas where these diseases circulate;
■ Upon return, continue to protect yourself against mosquito bites for three weeks to avoid transmitting a disease to loved ones via mosquitoes;
■ In the event of symptoms (joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, rash, conjunctivitis with or without fever, etc.), absolutely avoid being bitten and consult a doctor, specifying the territory visited, the date of return and the date of onset of symptoms.
■ These recommendations are valid for all travelers to an area where dengue, chikungunya, and the Zika virus are present.
Simple actions to prevent the proliferation of mosquitoes
To limit its proliferation and its installation in your environment, you must first avoid giving it the opportunity to reproduce around you.
For that, remove stagnant water around your home: below flower potswaste, children’s games, gutters, etc. These are all larval breeding sites, that is to say environments where mosquito larvae develop very quickly. Removing these larval breeding sites means gaining immediate peace of mind.
If you are affected by the disease, what should you do?
Treatment is primarily symptomatic, including pain and fever. Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are contraindicated due to the risk of bleeding.
The sick must It is imperative to be informed to avoid mosquito bites during their viremia phasewhich lasts around ten days (D-2 to D+7 from the date of appearance of the signs) to avoid transmission through mosquito bites to their loved ones.
They should be advised to wear loose, covering clothing, to use a skin repellent, to put in place mosquito nets on openings (doors and windows) and to use electric diffusers inside homes.
Reporting of any case of dengue fever, imported or indigenous, biologically documented (probable or confirmed) is mandatory, and must be made as soon as possible to the Regional Health Agency to enable investigations and control measures to be implemented. antivector in places frequented by patients during their viremia phase.
To go further on this proliferation, link from the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Health Agency HERE.
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