A week after the detection of three cases of dengue fever in Vallauris, a new mosquito control operation was carried out on the night of September 29 to 30 as the number of people affected increased.
A new mosquito control operation took place in Vallauris on the night of September 29 to 30, a week after three cases of indigenous dengue fever were noted in the Alpes-Maritimes commune. The number of cases detected now stands at 10.
Houses scrutinized
Led by the interdepartmental agreement for mosquito control on the Mediterranean coast (EID), this campaign aims to eradicate larval breeding sites and mosquitoes carrying the disease thanks to the projection of a powerful insecticide, fired from a vehicle.
On site, the teams of the company mandated by the town hall must ensure that everything is disinfected both in public spaces and on the hedges of private gardens. Some households have no choice but to undergo operations.
“We are going to pass through certain properties that we have already visited during the entomological investigation in order to carry out the treatment and target the areas that the vehicle as a whole was not able to touch”, specifies that night in microphone of BFM Côte d’Azur, Yves-Marie Kervella local manager of the Sud Est EID agency.
An acceleration of the phenomenon
According to Grégory L’Ambert, head of the preventive tiger mosquito control and public health division, this phenomenon has been developing more and more since the appearance of the tiger mosquito in 2010 on French territory. The specialist also highlights the acceleration in the number of cases in “small outbreaks” which can exceed 10 cases.
“The maximum we have had is 35 cases in Saint-Jeannet and in this area. Overall, the trend is upward and it is a problem that it is important to actually be concerned about,” explains he.
Even if, for him, mosquito control treatments are still proving rather effective to date in the fight against dengue fever, logistical problems could arise if the proliferation further increases exponentially.
“If this solution begins to multiply in homes with many cases, we risk ultimately having implementation problems, because a structure like the EID cannot carry out 50 treatments per day exhaustively in cases of the emergence of an epidemic”, he underlines.
The Regional Health Agency (ARS) reminds that symptoms vary from high fever to pain, fatigue and headaches. To prevent the onset of the disease, the ARS recommends not leaving stagnant water in your garden and protecting yourself from mosquito bites.
In Vallauris, residents affected by the mosquito control campaign were instructed to wait three days before consuming fruit and vegetables from their garden.
Aurélie Ronze with Alexandre Simoes
