Select Language

English

Down Icon

Select Country

France

Down Icon

New weapons in the fight against mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit

New weapons in the fight against mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit
Release of sterile tiger mosquitoes by the Terratis company, in Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze), on May 13, 2025. STÉPHANIE PARA/LA MONTAGNE/MAXPPP

This year, chikungunya has made a spectacular entrance into mainland France. Fourteen people have contracted this disease transmitted by the tiger mosquito since the beginning of May, without having traveled outside the country, according to the bulletin published on Wednesday, July 2. This is unprecedented so early in the summer season, the first cases having been identified at the end of May, whereas they are usually identified in mid-July.

In June, for the first time, one case was identified in Bas-Rhin and three in Corsica. The causes were early heatwaves, which stimulated mosquito hatching, as well as a particularly large number of travelers bringing back the virus, particularly from Réunion, where a very severe epidemic is raging.

There, as in mainland France, a question is becoming increasingly pressing: how can we get rid of the health threat posed by mosquitoes? In particular, the Aedes albopictus , nicknamed the tiger mosquito, present in mainland France and Réunion, and the Aedes aegypti , present in the Antilles, Guyana and New Caledonia, capable of transmitting several arboviruses, such as chikungunya, dengue fever and the Zika virus.

You have 85.83% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.

Le Monde

Le Monde

Similar News

All News
Animated ArrowAnimated ArrowAnimated Arrow