Doctors from the UK and France spoke about a British woman who contracted dengue fever in September 2022, the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases reports April 13.
In a case report presented this year at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark, it was reported that a woman contracted dengue fever while visiting relatives near Nice in southern France.
A 44-year-old woman presented to the UK emergency department after 3 days of fever, headache, muscle pain and a generalized erythematous rash (which can occur with a variety of infections). She had no comorbidities.
The woman had returned from the south of France the day before the onset of symptoms and had not traveled to any other country. She lived with a family that had the same symptoms.
A sample was sent to the UK’s Rare Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) and the result showed acute dengue virus infection. The patient did not require medical treatment and was under outpatient observation.
“This individual was part of an outbreak of more than 30 local infections in the south of France in 2022, highlighting the rapidly changing epidemiology of dengue.”says Dr. Owain Donnelly of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, UK.
Due to climate change, especially warmer temperatures and more rainfall, as well as the growth of global trade and tourism, we may see more parts of Europe with the right mix of factors for dengue outbreaks.
Dengue virus is a mosquito-borne arbovirus infection, commonly spread by Aedes mosquitoes. Cases in the UK are most often associated with travelers who have visited Asia, South America and Africa. While approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic and may go undetected, a small proportion (1-5%) of patients develop severe dengue or life-threatening DHF.
Historically, the virus that causes dengue is transmitted by mosquito species (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) found only in the tropics. However, with climate change, the Asian tiger mosquito (A. albopictus) has been found throughout southern Europe.
Between June and September 2022, France’s Agence Regionale de Santé (ARS) reported three separate dengue virus outbreaks, meaning infections that were contracted within the country without patients traveling abroad. Transmission occurs through the bite of a mosquito, the virus is not transmitted from person to person.
UK authorities have repeatedly found Asian tiger mosquitoes in UK ports in recent years, but to date no local population has settled in the UK.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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