Health authorities have fumigated Paris for the first time amid concerns that disease-ridden tiger mosquitoes could spread dengue in the French capital.
Stay-at-home alerts were issued and roads closed during the early hours of Thursday and Friday in two of the city’s suburbs, as pest control units sprayed insecticide across potential mosquito-breeding sites – such as trees, green spaces and stagnant water.
The operations were launched after two people contracted dengue abroad, raising concerns the Aedes albopictus ‘Asian tiger mosquito’ could bite an infected person and start a domestic chain of transmission.
The insect – which carries diseases including dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever – is gaining a foothold across France as the climate changes.
The number of infections caught locally (rather than imported) hit a record high in 2022, with at least 65 identified – including a 44-year-old British tourist. So far this year the number is lower, with just two indigenous cases near Marseille, but health officials are on alert for more.
The fumigation in Paris is not France’s first, with previous campaigns launched in the south of the country. But the operation, more commonly associated with tropical cities, is a sign of the mounting threat posed by disease-ridden insects.
According to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), increasingly frequent heat waves and severe flooding are creating the ideal conditions for tiger mosquitos to thrive.
The invasive species is now established in 13 countries, including all of Italy and Croatia, and parts of Spain and Germany. It was first spotted in France in 2004, and has now been found in 71 of the 96 departments on the mainland.
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