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France Confirms First Local Chikungunya Transmission in Grand Est as Outbreak Broadens

Authorities are reinforcing surveillance following a record 712 imported chikungunya cases from Indian Ocean outbreaks that have fueled early local transmissions

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Overview

  • Santé publique France has confirmed seven autochthonous chikungunya episodes in five regions this year, including the first ever in Grand Est after a Lipsheim resident was infected on June 27
  • The Agence régionale de santé will carry out two mosquito-control operations in Lipsheim and Fegersheim on the nights of July 1–2 and July 8 to prevent further local spread
  • Since early May, 712 imported cases from La Réunion and other Indian Ocean territories have been recorded, seeding an unprecedented early-season wave of local chikungunya infections
  • High temperatures driven by climate change are boosting Aedes albopictus activity, with the tiger mosquito now established in at least 81 departments across metropolitan France
  • With no antiviral treatment available, health authorities are relying on targeted vector control and personal protective measures to limit transmission