Paris fumigated to stop spread of ‘break-bone fever’

Insecticide is sprayed across potential mosquito-breeding sites over concern that dengue could spread in the city

Paris cityscape with Eiffel Tower at sunset, Ile-de-France, France
Two of the city's suburbs were issued with stay-at-home alerts and road closures during the early hours of Thursday and Friday Credit: Alexander Spatari/Moment RF/Getty

Health authorities have fumigated Paris for the first time amid concerns that disease-ridden tiger mosquitoes could spread dengue in the French capital. 

Stay-at-home alerts were issued and roads closed during the early hours of Thursday and Friday in two of the city’s suburbs, as pest control units sprayed insecticide across potential mosquito-breeding sites – such as trees, green spaces and stagnant water.

The operations were launched after two people contracted dengue abroad, raising concerns the Aedes albopictus ‘Asian tiger mosquito’ could bite an infected person and start a domestic chain of transmission. 

The insect – which carries diseases including dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever – is gaining a foothold across France as the climate changes

The number of infections caught locally (rather than imported) hit a record high in 2022, with at least 65 identified – including a 44-year-old British tourist. So far this year the number is lower, with just two indigenous cases near Marseille, but health officials are on alert for more.

The fumigation in Paris is not France’s first, with previous campaigns launched in the south of the country. But the operation, more commonly associated with tropical cities, is a sign of the mounting threat posed by disease-ridden insects. 

According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), increasingly frequent heat waves and severe flooding are creating the ideal conditions for tiger mosquitos to thrive

The invasive species is now established in 13 countries, including all of Italy and Croatia, and parts of Spain and Germany. It was first spotted in France in 2004, and has now been found in 71 of the 96 departments on the mainland. 

“If this [trend] continues, we can expect to see more cases and possibly deaths from diseases such as dengue,” Dr Andrea Ammon, director of the ECDC, said in June. 

Earlier this week Dr Jolyon Medlock, head of medical entomology and zoonoses ecology at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), told The Telegraph that “in 10 to 15 years” the UK will probably also have embedded populations of mosquitoes that pose a threat to health.

Globally, some 400 million people are infected each year with dengue – dubbed ‘break-bone fever’ because severe joint pain can be one of the symptoms – and at least 100 million become ill each year. 

Although cases are generally mild, it exacts a heavy toll on health systems, with 500,000 people hospitalised annually. Between 20,000 and 40,000 of these patients die.

This year has seen major outbreaks in much of Asia and South America, with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Peru and Bolivia among those badly hit. On Thursday Guatemala also declared a national health emergency as the virus has killed 22 and infected more than 12,000 since January.

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