According to several local and national media outlets, the Occitanie Regional Health Agency confirmed on Monday, June 16, that a case of chikungunya had been detected in the Montpellier region. The patient in question had not recently traveled to a tropical country, so this is a so-called "native" case, where the disease was contracted on French soil.
This is already the second time that a case of this kind has been reported in mainland France since the beginning of the year. Sud Ouest points out that a first report emerged in the Var last week. A worrying trend, as it demonstrates the virus's ability to be transmitted locally via the tiger mosquito, which is now well established in the region.
Should we fear an epidemic?
As things stand, there is no reason to fear a major epidemic in the south of France, let alone across the country. So don't panic: there's no need to barricade yourself indoors all summer. At this level, mainland French people are much better off than the inhabitants of Réunion or Mayotte, where thousands of people have been infected since the beginning of the year according to Santé Publique France.
But that doesn't mean that these few isolated cases should be taken lightly. Everyone's investment is important to prevent the transmission of this disease, for which there is not yet a specific antiviral treatment, and which often has a considerable impact on the lives of affected patients.
A major prevention effort
As a reminder, this insect, native to Asia, is an essential link in the virus's transmission chain, which cannot be transmitted directly from one human to another. It is therefore on this animal that specialists are focusing to cut short the spread of the disease. According to Le Dauphiné, “The Interdepartmental Agreement for the Control of Mosquitoes on the Mediterranean Coast (EID-Med) is currently carrying out intensive mosquito control operations around the infected person’s home,” in Prades-le-Lez.
This program to combat the tiger mosquito and the disease it transmits is divided into several distinct actions. The first is the direct elimination of the insects—but the authorities obviously won't be able to eradicate the entire population.
The ARS therefore emphasizes the role of the population, which can also take a number of preventive measures to avoid massive proliferation. It starts with knowing how to identify the symptoms of chikungunya.
As a reminder, the disease generally manifests itself by the sudden onset of a high fever accompanied by aches and pains, joint pain, headaches, nausea, and extreme fatigue. If you live in an affected area, it would be wise to contact a healthcare professional as soon as possible if one or more of these symptoms appear.
The top priority, however, remains depriving the tiger mosquito of its favorite breeding sites to prevent a massive proliferation. In practice, this first involves carefully emptying all reservoirs of stagnant water where mosquitoes might be likely to deposit larvae: saucers under flower pots, unmaintained fountains and ponds, pet bowls, blocked gutters, and so on.
At the same time, it is also desirable to limit the risk of bites as much as possible. To do this, it is useful to implement some simple but effective measures, such as limiting skin exposure by wearing long clothing or using mosquito repellents.
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