Two indigenous cases of dengue fever recorded in the Cévennes and the Rhone Gard

In a press release this Tuesday, September 19, the Occitanie Regional Health Agency reported two cases of dengue fever recently diagnosed in Gard.

The two patients live in two separate villages, in Gagnières in the Cévennes, and in Rochefort-du-Gard in the east of the department. They were both taken care of and their health “does not present any concerns” according to the ARS. Their cases are considered autochthonous because both patients contracted the disease without recent travel to a tropical country where dengue is usually prevalent.

Prevention measures

Generally benign, dengue is a disease which is transmitted by the bites of tiger mosquitoes and whose symptoms resemble those of the flu: high fever, joint pain, migraines, etc. As a preventive measure, the ARS has implemented mosquito control actions and destruction of nesting sites close to the residences of sick people. She is also looking for other potential affected patients in the surrounding area. “People who have visited the municipalities of Rochefort-du-Gard and Gagnières and who have presented signs suggestive of dengue fever since mid-August are invited to consult their treating doctors,” indicates the ARS.