Photo: Dengue fever has become one of the challenges of this year’s Paris Olympics. \AFP

[Ta Kung Pao]According to reports from AFP and BBC: Europe is currently facing a dengue fever crisis. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned on Tuesday that due to global warming caused by climate change, cases of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases in Europe are increasing significantly.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that in 2023, a total of 130 cases of locally infected dengue fever were reported in Europe, nearly doubling the 71 cases in 2022, and only 73 cases were recorded between 2010 and 2021. At the same time, imported cases of dengue fever also showed an upward trend, from 1,572 cases in 2022 to 4,900 cases in 2023, which is the “highest number” since the EU began monitoring in 2008. The ECDC is worried that the number of dengue fever cases may increase again this summer.

Amon, director of the European Centre for Disease Control, said that Europe has seen that climate change is creating more favorable conditions for mosquito invasions, allowing them to spread to previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases. As for West Nile virus, 713 local cases and 67 deaths were reported in nine EU countries last year. Although the number of cases has decreased from 1,133 in 2022, the number of affected areas is the highest since 2018.

The main dengue mosquitoes are Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) and Aedes aegypti. Aedes albopictus can transmit dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses and is considered the most invasive mosquito species in the world. It is currently spreading further north, east and west from its “stronghold” in southern Europe and currently has its own breeding population in 13 EU countries. Aedes aegypti can transmit yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya and has recently “made its home” in Cyprus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue fever is prevalent in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, with more than 6 million cases reported last year and 7,000 deaths. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned that international travel will further increase the risk of more outbreaks in Europe, and recommended personal protection, the use of mosquito repellents and door and window screens, and regular removal of stagnant water in gardens or balconies to prevent mosquito breeding.

France is considered one of the European countries most vulnerable to dengue fever. Of the 71 local cases in Europe in 2022, 65 were in France. Last year, France had 8 cases of multiple dengue fever infections, the highest number in Europe. Paris carried out chemical spraying for the first time in August last year, and this year’s Paris Olympics will open on July 26, and the authorities are preparing to spray mosquitoes in some areas.