The Foreign Office has said that the number of cases of Dengue soared 200 per cent on people returning to England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year
The Foreign Office has warned about an infection which has seen a massive rise in the last 12 months from holidaymakers returning to the UK. People are getting infected with Dengue when they’re on holiday a new report from the Travel Health and International Health Regulations team in the Clinical and Emerging Infections Directorate, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says.
It is on the rise in Europe with cases reported in Spain, Italy, France, Greece and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean. It can leave people in agony – 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.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there were 473 dengue cases reported between January and June 2024. Of these, 421 (89%) were confirmed cases and 52 (11%) were probable cases. This represents a 201% increase compared to the same period in 2023, which saw 157 cases (150 confirmed and 7 probable) and marks the highest number of cases reported for the first and second quarters since dengue surveillance commenced in 2009.
Of the cases reported so far in 2024, age and sex were known for all cases. Of these, 238 cases (51%) were female (aged 4 to 87 years, median=42) and 235 (49%) were male (aged 0 to 85, median=45) (Figure 4).
There were 459 cases reported in England, 11 cases in Wales and 4 cases in Northern Ireland. The largest proportion of English cases were reported in London (40%).
Table 3. Number of dengue cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by geographical distribution, January to June 2024
In 2024, travel history was known for 441 out of 473 cases, with the majority of these reporting travel to Barbados (125, 28%), followed by Brazil (67, 15%) and Indonesia (54, 12%) (Table 4). This aligns with reported local outbreaks in these regions.
Am invasive mosquito species has been discovered in 13 EU countries, including France, Spain and Greece, with experts attributing the rise in dengue fever in Europe to their presence. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has stated that climate change is providing 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:
- fever
- headache
- muscle and joint pain
- rash
Symptoms appear in humans 3-14 days after infection.
In some cases, the disease can become severe, leading to conditions like dengue hemorrhagic 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, another disease transmitted by mosquitoes, is now found in more European regions than ever before. In early March, one person was reported to be infected by the virus in southern Spain. This highlights how climate conditions are creating suitable environments for mosquitoes even “very early in the year”, according to the ECDC.
For individuals, protective measures include:
- using mosquito repellent
- the use of mosquito nets
- sleeping or in screened or air-conditioned rooms
- wearing clothing that covers most of the body.
Preventative measures also focus on controlling the mosquitoes that spread the virus.
Some ways to reduce mosquito breeding sites include:
- Regularly removing or treating open containers with stagnant water, like flower pots, tree holes, and rock pools.
- Ensuring water containers, barrels, wells, and storage tanks are well covered.
During outbreaks, aerial spraying of insecticides can be used to get rid of adult mosquitoes and mitigate the spread of the disease.
“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, the director of ECDC.
