The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a warning after a rise in cases of a painful illness in Spain, Italy, France, Greece and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean
The Foreign Office and UK health officials have issued a stark warning about a rampant infection that has seen a significant surge in the past year among holidaymakers returning to the UK. According to a new report from the Travel Health and International Health Regulations team in the Clinical and Emerging Infections Directorate, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), people are contracting Dengue while on their holidays.
The disease is spreading across Europe with cases reported in Spain, Italy, France, Greece and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. It can leave sufferers in excruciating pain – with an abrupt onset of fever often accompanied by severe headache and pain behind the eyes, muscle pain, joint pains, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
Symptoms can range from mild or non-existent to severe. Dengue is endemic in over 100 countries across Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. with sporadic autochthonous cases occurring in France, Italy and Spain within Europe. Since the beginning of 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a substantial rise in dengue cases and deaths globally.
By April 2024, over 7.6 million cases, including over 3,000 deaths, were recorded. The increase is particularly notable in the Americas, where cases have exceeded 7 million, surpassing previous annual high of 4.6 million cases in 2023.
Dengue fever cases have skyrocketed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a staggering 473 cases reported between January and June 2024. This marks an alarming 201% increase compared to the same period in 2023, which saw just 157 cases.
The figures represent the highest number of cases reported for the first two quarters since dengue surveillance began in 2009. Of the cases reported so far in 2024, 238 were female and 235 were male. The majority of cases were reported in England, with London accounting for 40% of these. Travel history was known for most cases, with the majority reporting travel to Barbados, followed by Brazil and Indonesia.
An invasive mosquito species has been found in 13 EU countries, including France, Spain and Greece, with experts linking the rise in dengue fever in Europe to their presence. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that climate change is creating favourable conditions for the spread of the tiger mosquito.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by certain types of mosquitoes. It usually starts with flu-like symptoms such as: Symptoms appear in humans 3-14 days after infection. In some cases, the disease can become severe, leading to conditions like dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. When the disease is severe, the risk of mortality is higher.
There are four types of viruses that cause dengue, and being immune to one type does not protect against the others. Last year, France recorded eight incidents of multiple infections, Italy had four, and Spain reported two.
Most cases in Europe are imported, reflecting the global movement of people and trade. Imported cases surged to nearly 5,000 last year.
However, locally-acquired infections are also on the rise: 130 people were affected in 2023, up from 71 the previous year.
The West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease, is now more widespread in Europe than ever before. In early March, southern Spain reported an infection, signalling how climate change is enabling mosquitoes to thrive “very early in the year”, says the ECDC.
To stay safe, individuals should take protective steps and control mosquito populations. Measures include reducing breeding sites, and during severe outbreaks, aerial insecticide spraying may be necessary.
“Europe is already seeing how climate change is creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquitos to spread into previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases such as dengue,” warned Andrea Ammon, ECDC’s chief.
