A British holidaymaker has been infected with dengue fever in France as the tropical disease becomes more common in parts of Europe.
The woman, 44, became infected while on holiday in the popular coastal city of Nice in September 2022.
When she returned from France, she began to suffer fever, headaches, muscle pains and a rash which lasted for three day.
The family members she had stayed with also reported similar symptoms, with researchers confirming that she was “part of an outbreak of over 30 locally transmitted cases” in southern France last year.
Experts say climate change and warmer temperatures are behind a rise in cases in areas that are not traditionally associated with the illness, such as France.
Dengue fever, spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, is typically found in tropical areas such as Asia and South America.
But it cannot be transmitted from one person to another, and is not found in the UK.
Once back in the UK, the infected holidaymaker had to undergo emergency health treatment where doctors sent an urgent sample for analysis.
Scientists at the UK's Rare Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) were then able to confirm her diagnosis.
Dengue fever is not typically serious and often clears up on its own.
Between 1 and 5 per cent of patients can catch severe dengue or dengue haemorrhagic fever that affect the body's organs and cause hemorrhage or bleeding.
Between the busy holiday season of June and September 2022, three separate outbreaks of dengue virus transmission were reported by the Agence Regionale de Santé (ARS).
These cases were identified in France among patients who had not travelled abroad.
A specialist from London's renowned Hospital for Tropical Diseases has urged that climate change could be the reason for a higher number of outbreaks in parts of Europe.
"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", Dr Owain Donnelly told the Independent.
"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 outbreaks.
"Surveillance and reporting mechanisms are important in ensuring we have an accurate understanding of dengue spread."
Dengue is often found in tropical areas in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, parts of North America, and the Pacific Islands.
It has previously been detected in Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
The risk of catching it is now higher in parts of southern Europe between spring and November.
The Asian tiger mosquito, responsible for transmitting the infection, has become more common across the region with warmer temperatures and higher levels of rainfall due to climate change.
