Chikungunya in Montpellier

[Pickles]

Well, it had to happen sooner or later: the Tiger mozzies (which are active all day as opposed to the native ones which generally are active in the evening and night only) are known to carry dengue fever and chikungunya disease and their encroachment on to French territory in the last couple of years has been noted. Now there have been 5 cases of chikungunya in one area of Montpellier. The de-mozzification teams are out in force in the district concerned, but this seems to be a harbinger of the future.

http://www.midilibre.fr/2014/10/21/quatre-personnes-contaminees-par-le-chikungunya-a-montpellier,1069217.php

http://www.midilibre.fr/2014/10/23/montpellier-un-nouveau-cas-de-chikungunya-confirme,1070440.php

The symptoms:

http://www.midilibre.fr/2014/10/21/chikungunya-quels-sont-les-symptomes-de-la-maladie,1069236.php

The de-mozzification teams at work:

http://www.midilibre.fr/2014/10/25/operation-demoustication-quartier-las-sorbes-a-montpellier-les-images,1071268.php

[NormanH]

I saw this a couple of days ago in Midi Libre.

I think that the significant thing is that this is the first time the disease has been contracted in metropolitan France, presumably from  a mosquito bite, rather than been brought back by people who have been on holiday in places where it is endemic, such as La Réunion.