November 08, 2019
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Zika: indigenous cases for the first time in mainland France
For the first time in mainland France, people have contracted the Zika virus. Unlike "imported" cases of the disease, reported by people returning from a trip abroad, these individuals were infected following a mosquito bite in France. Even though they have since recovered, these indigenous cases are a cause of concern for health authorities. The Institut Pasteur's experts took the opportunity to reiterate the risks of contamination with Zika and provide some guidelines for protection from the virus.
It is worth pointing out that in its map indicating the spread of the tiger mosquito in France, the Ministry of Health placed 51 departments on red alert in late April, nine more than in 2018. "Tiger mosquitoes were first detected in 1979 in Europe and in 2004 in France. They are active virtually throughout the summer," explained Anna-Bella Failloux, Head of the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors laboratory at the Institut Pasteur, in an interview for the TV channel France Info. The tiger mosquito's colonization of mainland France is spreading, and there are now no departments under simple health surveillance or on green alert.