Tiger mosquitoes have been seen in southern parts of the UK for the first time (Picture: ECDC/Shutterstock)
An invasive species of mosquito has been linked to a rise in dengue fever across Europe – as they reach the UK for the first time.
The tiger mosquito has become well established in 13 countries in the EU including France, Spain and Greece.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says climate change is creating ideal conditions for the mosquito to spread, and the insect has been newly observed in southern parts of England for the first time in the last few weeks.
And it’s feared international travel as the summer approaches could increase the risk of more European outbreaks, the BBC reports.
The tiger mosquito is thought to be the most invasive species of mosquito in the world. It has already become established in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
The species has been spotted for the first time more recently in England, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, the Netherlands and Slovakia, the ECDC say.
A worker fumigates a house in Peru to try and prevent the spread of dengue (Picture: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP)
Until recently, the diseases tiger mosquitoes carry – dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus – were only typically seen in parts of Africa, Asia and the Americas.
But mass dengue outbreaks have been rising in recent years, with eight incidents of multiple infections reported in France, two in Italy, and two in Spain.
Most European cases are imported, with nearly 5,000 imported cases in 2023, but locally-acquired infections are also on the rise, nearly doubling from 2020 to last year.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
Dengue fever doesn’t always cause symptoms, but they usually start four to 10 days after being bitten by a mosquito.
Symptoms include:
A high temperature
A severe headache
Pain behind your eyes
Muscle and joint pain
Feeling or being sick
Swollen glands
A blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots – this can affect large areas of your body
Some people get a more severe type of dengue a few days after first starting to feel ill, although this is rare.
Symptoms of more severe dengue include:
Severe tummy pain
Repeatedly being sick
Fast breathing
Bleeding gums or nose
Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
Being unable to relax (restlessness)
Blood in your vomit or poo
Most people with dengue feel better in a few days, and there’s no treatment or vaccine available in the UK specifically to treat or prevent it.
Resting, drinking lots of fluids, and taking paracetamol can help to ease symptoms, but severe dengue cases need to be treated in hospital.
ECDC director Andrea Ammon said: ‘Europe is already seeing how climate change is creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquitos to spread into previously unaffected areas and infect more people with diseases such as dengue.
‘Increased international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases, and inevitably also the risk of local outbreaks.’
Dengue fever is endemic in more than 100 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with more than six million cases and 7,000 deaths reported last year.
The highest number of cases occur in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
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