A London-based medical expert has warned of possible future outbreaks of potentially-deadly dengue fever in Europe after a British holidaymaker became infected with the virus in the South of France.
The 44-year-old woman attended A&E in the UK with fever, pains and a rash, after returning home from Nice last September.
Details of her illness, from which she made a full recovery, were revealed at a European conference into infectious diseases, taking place in Copenhagen this week.
The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London said more than 30 cases of dengue fever were reported in the South of France last year.
“With climate change, particularly hotter temperatures and more rainfall, and increasing global trade and tourism, we may see more parts of Europe with the right combination of factors for dengue outbreaks,” said Dr Owain Donnelly, from The Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
Last month, health authorities in Ibiza issued an alert over the risk of dengue fever on the island ahead of the summer.
The alert was issued after two cases of the mosquito-born infection in German tourists were reported, as well as four cases with compatible symptoms.
Dengue cases in the UK tend to occur in travellers who have visited Asia, South America and Africa. Dengue is a virus that spreads from mosquitos to people.
Around 75% of dengue cases are asymptomatic and can go undetected but between 1% and 5% of patients develop potentially fatal severe dengue.
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The 44-year-old woman attended A&E in the UK with fever, pains and a rash, after returning home from Nice last September.
Details of her illness, from which she made a full recovery, were revealed at a European conference into infectious diseases, taking place in Copenhagen this week.
The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London said more than 30 cases of dengue fever were reported in the South of France last year.
“With climate change, particularly hotter temperatures and more rainfall, and increasing global trade and tourism, we may see more parts of Europe with the right combination of factors for dengue outbreaks,” said Dr Owain Donnelly, from The Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
Last month, health authorities in Ibiza issued an alert over the risk of dengue fever on the island ahead of the summer.
The alert was issued after two cases of the mosquito-born infection in German tourists were reported, as well as four cases with compatible symptoms.
Dengue cases in the UK tend to occur in travellers who have visited Asia, South America and Africa. Dengue is a virus that spreads from mosquitos to people.
Around 75% of dengue cases are asymptomatic and can go undetected but between 1% and 5% of patients develop potentially fatal severe dengue.
The post Fears for European travel after Brit caught dengue fever in Nice appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
