France has recorded 10 cases of dengue fever in the southeastern town of Sainte-Cecile-les-Vignes, French media reported.
The first case in the series was reported by a health official on August 14, helping authorities identify an imported case and nine new cases of the autochthonous disease in the same area, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional health agency said on Thursday.
Authorities carried out larvicide operations in the city to eliminate possibly infected mosquitoes and thus prevent the spread of the disease.
The total number of autochthonous dengue fever cases in the metropolis has risen to 16 this year, according to broadcaster France Info. The country’s first autochthonous case of 2024 was reported on July 8 in the southern department of Hérault.
France’s public health agency (Sante Publique France or SPF) previously announced that 1,031 imported cases were detected between May 1 and August 13.
An “autochthonous” case is defined as a person infected within France, without travelling to infected areas of the world in the 15 days before the onset of symptoms.
Dengue fever is a viral disease that is prevalent in South-East Asia and the Pacific, Central and South America, and countries in Africa. The fever is not transmitted from person to person, but only through mosquito bites.
There is no specific treatment for dengue, but essential care actions such as timely diagnosis of cases, recognising the signs of severe dengue onset and appropriate management of those who become ill can help prevent severe dengue from developing and causing death from dengue.
