The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the dengue virus at the beginning of July – also in Europe. Local infections are increasing. Italy is also affected, according to Italian media reports.
Doctors and researchers have been warning of the health consequences of the climate crisis for some time – such as dengue fever. This is what is known as a tropical disease. According to experts, as regions get warmer and warmer, the risk of becoming infected with it in European regions also increases.
This is because the Aedes mosquito, which transmits dengue fever, multiplies as a result of high temperatures and heavy rainfall. In the WHO European region, there have already been local infections in around two dozen countries, including Spain and France.
Italian health authorities are now reporting dengue fever cases. According to consistent media reports, Lazio and Lombardy near Lake Garda are affected. According to the Italian newspaper Il Giorno, almost 50 cases of dengue have been diagnosed in Italy since January.
In order to prevent the spread, the mayor of the affected municipality of Manerba del Garda has ordered measures. According to the Gardapost news portal, people should increasingly wear long clothes and use special insect repellents. Mosquito nets on doors and windows are also recommended.
WHO concerned about dengue virus
The mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus breed in standing water. At the end of July, the World Health Organization (WHO) therefore called on people to be vigilant when it started to rain – and to avoid standing water, for example in flower pots.
Overall, the WHO assumes up to 400 million infections worldwide. The estimate is difficult because 80 percent of those affected have hardly any or only mild symptoms when they first become infected and do not seek medical help at all. You are then immune to one of the four dengue viruses. In the event of a second infection with one of the other three viruses, the disease could be more severe and life-threatening, said Raman Velayudhan, head of the WHO department for neglected tropical diseases, according to the German Press Agency (dpa) at the time.
There are no medications for dengue except those that reduce fever. Other symptoms include headaches, body aches and joint pains. Severe cases can lead to a drop in blood pressure, even resulting in death.
Dengue vaccine approved in the EU
WHO expert Velayudhan referred to a vaccine that is on the market, but which only offers protection after an initial infection. Dengvaxia is more or less effective depending on what other virus you contract, Velayudhan said.
According to the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which is responsible for Germany, it is intended for people between the ages of 9 and 45 who live in areas where dengue is widespread. The PEI also refers to another vaccine called Qdenga, which in Germany can be injected into people from the age of four – even before the first dengue infection. It was approved in the EU in December 2022.
Sources: Il Giorno, Gardapost, dpa material on the WHO
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