Record activity this summer involving two mosquito-borne diseases—chikungunya and West Nile virus (WNV)—suggests the European region is entering a new normal, driven by climate shifts, officials from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today.
Along with its disease updates, the agency urged countries to mount robust and coordinated responses to protect the public. The ECDC’s latest assessment comes on the 125th annual observance of World Mosquito Day, an event designed to raise awareness about the threat of diseases from mosquitoes and ways people can protect themselves.
The Australia-based World Mosquito Program estimates that mosquito-borne diseases kill 1 million people each year and infect as many as 700 million. For dengue alone this year, 3.6 million cases with more than 1,900 deaths have been reported across 94 countries and territories, with a notable surge in countries in the Pacific.
Record chikungunya outbreaks; disease expands north
In July, the World Health Organization issued a chikungunya alert amid new outbreaks in the Indian Ocean and Europe, urging countries to avoid a repeat of a surge two decades ago. An ongoing chikungunya outbreak in Foshan, China, has sickened at least 8,000 people.
The ECDC said the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that can spread chikungunya now have a foothold in 16 European countries and 369 regions, up sharply from just 114 regions a decade ago. Officials said mosquito presence and travel-related cases make outbreaks more likely. Rising temperatures, longer summer seasons, milder winters, and changing rainfall patterns are creating more favorable conditions for the mosquito populations to thrive, the group added.
Pamela Rendi-Wagner, MD, ECDC’s director, said, “Europe is entering a new phase—where longer, more widespread and more intense transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is becoming the new normal. ECDC is working closely with all Member States to provide tailored support and timely public health guidance to strengthen Europe’s response.”
So far this year, 27 outbreaks have been reported in Europe, which the ECDC said is a record for the region. France has confirmed 111 infections, with 7 in Italy. Though most outbreaks are in the south and southeast, the first locally acquired chikungunya case has been reported in France’s Alsace region, which officials said is an exceptional occurrence at that latitude and is signaling a northward expansion of the risk.
WNV at 3-year high, with 8 countries affected
Meanwhile, the distribution of WNV cases in Europe has shifted over the past 10 years, with illnesses reported in new areas every year. Regions of Italy and Romania this year have reported their first WNV cases.
European officials have recorded the most WNV cases in 3 years, and ECDC officials expect infections to keep rising until a seasonal peak this month or next. So far, eight counties have reported 335 locally acquired WNV cases, 19 of them fatal. Most of the cases are in Italy, with Greece also reporting illnesses in the double digits.
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