When people visit romantic Paris this summer, the last item they need to take into consideration is contracting dengue fever.
Due to warmer temperatures, the mosquito-borne disease has been on the rise again in France for several months.
The timing shouldn’t be particularly good – this summer is the main target of the country’s attention, because the Olympic Games will probably be held there from the top of July, that are expected to draw thousands and thousands of tourists along with the same old tourist crowds.
That is why France has sent its “dengue detectives” into motion. They will track down the hotspots of the disease, search for mosquito eggs and help contain the spread of the virus in French cities.
“It is true that the Olympic Games are a critical moment,” said Cécile Somarriba, director of health surveillance and security on the Regional Health Authority of Greater Paris (ARS), The Telegraph“We are focusing our surveillance on places where large gatherings of people take place. That is where the risk of transmission is highest.”
The ARS launched a campaign to watch the mosquito population in Paris and its surrounding suburbs by establishing 526 nest traps, that are sent for evaluation every month.
The so-called detectives are cracking down on the Aedes albopictusalso often known as the Asian tiger mosquito, which thrives within the conditions offered by cities like Paris in the summertime – a mixture of hot and humid weather with numerous people coming and going.
The Olympic Games in Paris are only across the corner and we’re expected to over 15 million visitorsThe authorities are tightening controls in “fan zones” where visitors from all around the world can gather, equivalent to airports.
Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, headache and nausea. Severe infections will be fatal but are rare if diagnosed early.
The high alert for dengue cases comes just months after France faced a large bed bug infestation on Paris’ public transport system. At the time, the country was preparing to host the Rugby World Cup, increasing pressure on the French transport authority to do away with the pests as quickly as possible.
Last yr, data evaluation Company Airfinity warned that global warming would cause locally transmitted dengue cases in France to extend fifty-fold by 2030.
The threat from vector-borne diseases equivalent to dengue fever has increased in recent months and has reached an all-time high. end of April.
Earlier this yr, French health authorities warned of the danger of imported dengue cases because the variety of cases in America was swollen.
Although it’s difficult to eradicate the virus completely given the large influx of tourists, there are methods to regulate its spread.
To monitor the situation, health authorities have arrange a web site and are calling hotels, schools and other locations to report and detect possible outbreaks early. At some Olympic venues, traps are being arrange that emit human-like odors to draw mosquitoes.
Parisians are also being encouraged not to permit standing water to gather of their gardens to stop mosquitoes from breeding there.
