Dengue fever is spreading in Europe, with sporadic local cases reported in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal (Madeira) and Croatia. SOS International is therefore urging summer tourists not to forget mosquito repellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted to humans via mosquito bites, and it has so far been a risk of infection in areas with tropical and subtropical climates, such as in Asia, Africa and South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, in recent years, several local cases have been recorded in Europe where the Asian tiger mosquito, which can carry the virus, has managed to survive. In 2023, a total of 105 local cases were recorded in Italy, France and Spain. In early 2024, several European countries have reported large increases in imported cases, suggesting that 2024 will be a year with even more local cases in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No reason to worry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you are planning a trip to Southern Europe, there is no reason to worry. The risk of becoming infected in Europe is considered low, and dengue fever rarely develops into a serious condition in people who are already healthy and well, explains senior physician Raquel Mart\u00edn-Iguacel, who is a physician in infectious diseases at Odense University Hospital and is affiliated with SOS International:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 The risk of becoming infected as a tourist in Europe is low. Relatively few local cases have been registered, and if the accident does occur, it is rare for healthy and well people to become seriously ill from the virus, says Raquel Mart\u00edn-Iguacel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are bitten by a mosquito in an area where there is an outbreak of dengue fever, you can safely wait and see what happens: \u2013 Far from all mosquitoes carry the virus, so it is only if you develop symptoms that you should contact a doctor. If you are infected, the symptoms usually appear after 3-5 days, in the form of high fever, rash, headache and joint and muscle pain as in severe flu, says Raquel Mart\u00edn-Iguacel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is not possible to test for the virus before the disease breaks out. Raquel Mart\u00edn-Iguacel explains that many cases of dengue fever are asymptomatic or mild, but in rare cases the virus can lead to severe thrombocytopenia, in which case hospitalization is necessary. Most people recover within 1-2 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vaccination against dengue fever<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a vaccine against dengue fever, but it is not recommended when traveling in Europe, where the risk of infection is considered low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To reduce the risk of infection, Swedish health authorities recommend protecting yourself against mosquito bites by using mosquito repellents such as spray and insect nets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Denguefeber sprider sig i Europa, och det har rapporterats om sporadiska lokala fall i Frankrike, Spanien, Italien, Portugal (Madeira) och Kroatien. SOS International uppmanar d\u00e4rf\u00f6r sommarens turister att inte gl\u00f6mma myggspray. Denguefeber \u00e4r en virusinfektion som \u00f6verf\u00f6rs till m\u00e4nniskor via myggstick, och den har hittills varit en risk att smittas av i omr\u00e5den med tropiska […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":296933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[184],"tags":[597,4656,4654,4657],"class_list":["post-296932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-turism","tag-denguefeber","tag-feber","tag-myga","tag-skyddar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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