New health warning issued for travellers visiting France, here's what you need to know

British holidaymakers have been warned about travelling to France due to the threat of contracting a viral infection.

A 44-year-old British woman was infected with dengue fever, otherwise known as 'break-bone fever', while visiting family in a small village near Nice in the south of France in September 2022.

The woman, who hasn’t been identified by doctors, developed a fever, headaches, muscle pain, and a red rash over three days. Upon return to the UK, she went to A&E. An urgent sample was sent to the Rare Imported Pathogens Laboratory, which confirmed she had been infected with acute dengue virus.

Fortunately, the woman didn't need any medical treatment and made a full recovery.

Dengue fever outbreak in France

Dengue fever is carried by Aedes mosquitoes, which thrive in warmer temperatures. Therefore, the disease it more common in tropical and subtropical climates, so people are more likely to contract it if they've visited Asia, South America, and Africa.

However, one species, Aedes albopictus or the Asian Tiger mosquito, is now widespread in southern Europe, and there are fears the virus is becoming a health threat in the south of France.

Indeed, as Dr Owain Donnelly, from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, who presented the woman's case at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, said:

This individual was part of an outbreak of over 30 locally transmitted cases in the south of France in 2022, which highlights the rapidly changing epidemiology of dengue.

With climate change, particularly hotter temperatures and more rainfall, and increasing global trade and tourism, we may see more parts of Europe with the right combination of factors for dengue outbreak.

In recent years, the virus also been found numerous times by authorities at UK ports, but local populations have not yet been established.

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What are the symptoms of dengue fever?

75% of people infected with dengue fever experience no symptoms, however for 1% to 5% of people, their infection can develop into potentially fatal, severe dengue.

Mild dengue causes flu-like symptoms, including, according to the World Health Organisation and the NHS:

• High fever (40°C/104°F)
• Severe headache
• Pain behind your eyes
• Muscle and joint pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Swollen glands
• Blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots – this can affect large areas of your body

People infected with the virus can have such painful joints that it feels as if their bones have been broken.

Sources used:

Sky News: 'Dengue fever: Doctors fear UK could see outbreaks in the future - and this is why'

Daily Mail: 'Warning to holidaymakers heading to France after deadly virus threat'

World Health Organisation: 'Dengue and severe dengue'

NHS: 'Dengue'