Record number of dengue fever illnesses in France! Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,700 cases have been registered, and the French health authorities are on the alert, especially since the Olympic Games are approaching.
The disease that is spreading rapidly around the globe
Scientists have warned that half the world’s population could be at risk of contracting a known disease. It is about diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as malaria and dengue fever, notes DPA/PA Media.
More and more cases of malaria and dengue fever
Unfortunately, outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases associated with global warming will spread to almost all areas of northern Europe and other regions of the globe in the coming decades. For example, figures published by the Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) showed that the number of malaria cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time in over 20 years.
And in France, the situation is critical: “Since January 1, 2024, 1,679 cases of dengue fever have been imported into mainland France, compared to 131 in 2023 during the same period”said the general director of Health, Dr. Grégory Emery.
“What we are seeing in France is a mirror of what is happening in the Antilles and more widely in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean”, where dengue fever has been circulating since the beginning of the year “at levels never reached before”, said the general director of Public Health France, Dr. Caroline Semaille, writes Digi24.
Read also: Four Romanians were diagnosed with severe malaria after traveling to Zanzibar. One is in intensive care, in serious condition
More than half of the world’s population could be exposed to mosquito-borne diseases
Globally, the number of dengue fever cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) has increased eightfold in the past two decades, from 500,000 in 2000 to over five million in 2019.
In Europe, mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus have invaded 13 states since 2000, with a local spread of the disease observed in France, Italy and Spain in 2023.
If global warming can be limited to 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the population at risk of malaria and dengue could increase by an additional 2.4 billion by 2100, the researchers said. 1970-1999.
However, scientists estimate that if the current trajectory of carbon emissions and population growth continues, 4.7 billion people could be affected by dengue fever and malaria by the end of the century.
Photo source: freepik
Tags: experts warn population exposed
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