Europe warns of ‘continued upward trend’ in mosquito-borne diseases

Number of cases dengue Imports from endemic regions of Europe continue to rise, while local outbreaks of infections West Nile and dengue virus According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The rise in mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) has worsened, such that In 2023, 130 cases of dengue fever were reported. locally acquired versus 71 in 2022.

This represents a significant increase over the previous ten-year period (2010-2021), with a total of 73 cases reported over the entire period.

Similarly, the number of imported dengue cases has increased markedly, according to ECDC. And, according to the latest data, in 2022More than 4,900 cases have been reported. which represents an increase of nearly 212% from the 1,572 cases reported in 2022.

According to the ECDC, several countries have reported a significant increase in imported dengue cases this year, which could indicate that the numbers could be even higher.

“Europe is already seeing how climate change is creating more favorable conditions for invasive mosquitoes to spread into previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases such as dengue fever,” said ECDC Director Andrea Ammon.

“Increasing international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases and will inevitably also risk of local outbreaks“, he added.

As for the West Nile virus, in 2023 EU and EEA countries They reported 713 local cases in 123 different regions of nine EU countries. In 22 of these regions, cases of the disease were reported for the first time last year.

There were a further 1,133 cases in 2022, but the number of regions affected is the highest since the peak in 2018, indicating widespread population coverage. Geographical spread of the virus.

He mosquito Edes albopictus, Known to transmit the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, it is spreading further into northern, eastern and western Europe and now has self-sustaining populations in 13 EU and EEA countries.

Meanwhile, the mosquito responsible for spreading West Nile virus, Culex pipiens, is native to Europe and is present throughout the EU and European Economic Area.

Aedes aegypti, vector yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika, It is established in Cyprus and several outlying EU regions such as Madeira and the French Caribbean islands.

“Personal protective measures combined with vector control measures, early case detection, timely surveillance, additional research and awareness-raising activities are of paramount importance in the highest-risk regions of Europe,” added the ECDC director.

At the same time, the department asked the public to take simple measures to prevent cases such as eliminate stagnant water in gardens or balconies where mosquitoes breed, use repellents and clothing that covers most of the body, as well as mosquito nets on doors and windows.