2024-07-10 20:48:42
It will not be long until the 2024 Olympic Games begin in Paris. But the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a cause for concern for those responsible. The widespread spread of mosquitoes in Paris could pave the way for an epidemic if more infected people travel to the Olympics this summer, researchers say.
Scientists at the Pasteur Institute captured tiger mosquitoes in Paris for study and examined the viruses they carried. The result: In addition to dengue fever, the mosquitoes also carried West Nile fever, Chikungunya, Zika and Usutu viruses. The study appeared in the specialist journal Eurosurveillance.
In view of the Olympic Games starting on July 26 in Paris, researchers say that cases of infection may increase this summer. Because when there are more people, more viruses can be transmitted through mosquitoes. Infected visitors could unknowingly bring these pathogens with them to the games and pass them on through tiger mosquitoes in Paris.
Eurosurveillance | Aedes albopictus is a competent vector of five arboviruses affecting human health, more in Paris, France, 2023 https://t.co/R117WNi43y
— Global Health Observer (@GlobalPHObserv) May 24, 2024
Dengue fever is already on the rise in France. In the first three and a half months of this year, 13 times more cases of dengue fever were reported there than at the beginning of 2023. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also concerned about the spread of the dengue virus – including in Europe. . In total, there were already cases in 90 countries in 2024 by the end of April. 7.6 million Reported to the WHO, 3.4 million have been confirmed. In more than 16,000 cases, people were seriously ill and 3,000 died.
Dengue fever: these are the symptoms
Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, body aches and a rash. After becoming infected, many people show no symptoms or only a low-grade fever. In severe cases, however, serious bleeding and organ damage can occur. The Foreign Office in Berlin recommends vaccination and writes: “To avoid dengue fever, constantly protect yourself from mosquito bites, especially during the day, as part of exposure prophylaxis.”
The researchers at the Pasteur Institute led by the leader of the study Anna-Bella Failloux found that the extent of the epidemic depends greatly on the length of the reproductive cycle in tiger mosquitoes. West Nile virus reproduces the fastest. At 28 degrees, reached in Paris during the summer, it took just three days before it could be transmitted to people by mosquitoes. For Chikungunya and Usutu virus, the incubation period was between three and seven days, for Dengue and Zika viruses between 14 and 21 days.
“If a case of dengue fever is detected in the Paris area, we now know that disinfection is required within 21 days,” explains Failloux. The infected mosquitoes would then have to be killed in time. “We can use these results to adjust our time frame of action and optimize our approach.”
The mosquitoes reproduce mainly in stagnant water, but also in ponds and other open water areas. If it stays dry, the risk of spreading and transmitting the virus should be low. However, if there is heavy rain, the tiger mosquito can spread quickly in Paris as well.
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