First cases of autochthonous dengue fever and chikungunya fever in France: from bad dream to reality!

摘要

Following the outbreak of autochthonous chikungunya fever in humans in northern Italy, first reported 3 years ago [I] we have now witnessed two independent cases of autochthonous transmission of dengue fever and two cases of chikungunya fever in south-eastern France during September 2010. This worrying trend has raised serious concern among the health authorities, as Aedes albopictus, the Asian 'tiger mosquito', is the most likely transmission vector of both viruses, and this mosquito species is known to be spreading widely throughout many regions of southern Europe. The two cases of dengue fever occurred in patients (a 64-year-old male and an 18-year-old male) living in Nice in the same neighbourhood and knowing each other. The two cases of chikungunya fever occurred in 12-year-old female patients also living in the vicinity of each other in Frejus, and attending the same high school. Both presented with high fever, headache, lombalgia and arthralgia. These two patients lived in the same neighbourhood as the unique laboratory-documented imported case of the county, affecting a 7-year-old female patient returning from Asia. All four cases resulted in mild, self-resolving infections.