DECRYPTION – Insects, mammals, migratory birds… All of them can carry pathogens that pose risks to human and animal health. Rises in temperature modify their life cycles and geographic distribution.
Mosquitoes transmitting dengue in metropolitan France, perhaps soon Zika or chikungunya. Crimean-Congo fever in Spain and the tick that carries the virus now present in the south of France. A subtropical electric ant annoying the inhabitants of a residence in Toulon… These critters that we thought were the sad privilege of distant tropics are settling in Europe. And the summer we have just spent serves as a warning: as of October 16, Public Health France reported 65 indigenous cases of dengue fever identified in mainland France, compared to 14 in 2020… “Obviously, this is derisory compared to the dengue fever epidemics of several thousand cases which have been raging for years in the Antilles, Reunion and Guyana. But it shows us that the future will be made with these diseases in metropolitan France and in Europe.explains the Dr Marie-Claire Paty, vector-borne disease surveillance coordinator at Public Health France.
Either way, the culprits look the same…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 79% left to discover.
Pushing back the limits of science is also freedom.
Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month
Already subscribed? Login