In an opinion issued this Wednesday, April 5, the Covars, formerly the Scientific Council, considers that there is no disaster scenario but warns of the risk of a multiplication of transmission of viral diseases on the metropolitan territory due to the proliferation tiger mosquito.
Cases of dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya are no longer reserved for overseas territories. The three arboviruses are now a reality in metropolitan France and the country could experience an epidemic outbreak. This is what an opinion from Covars (formerly the Scientific Council) has just concluded, which it sent to the government to warn of future developments which remain “difficult to anticipate”.
“We are not in the case of a disaster scenario, warns immunologist Brigitte Autran, president of Covars. But the risk is unavoidable due to the proliferation of tiger mosquitoes. But also avoidable by a better organization of the actors of fight against these mosquitoes, the progress of research and the education of the populations with whom it is advisable to better communicate “.
“We will not eradicate the tiger mosquito”
“With the increase in travel, global warming, the overall decline in immunity, we are more exposed”, recognizes the entomologist Didier Fontenille. Who spends his life fighting against two mosquitoes out of the 3,600 known species: the tiger mosquito (or Aedes albopictus) and the Aedes aegypti. “The risk is increasing and you can’t work miracles, adds virologist Xavier de Lamballerie. We will not eradicate the tiger mosquito in the decades to come”, he warns.
The experts are unanimous, the number of cases will increase each summer: “Last year, we recorded 272 cases of dengue fever imported by travelers and a dozen cases of chikungunya”, counts infectiologist Denis Mavy. André Cabie, infectious disease specialist also adds that the three arboviruses “can be asymptomatic. These three infections can have serious forms that can go as far as death”.
An Orsec plan tested before the Paris Olympics
To deal with this, the main recommendation of Covars is to “Bring these arboviruses into the French epidemic plan at the same level as other pandemics”, adds Brigitte Autran. Didier Fontenille proposes the creation of a “interprofessional technical center which would bring together the Ministry of Health, the ARS, researchers, citizens, communities… and expand it to European level”.
A structure that would be essential in the event of an epidemic runaway: “Traditional operators may not be able to manage. An Orsec plan must be tested in real conditions, particularly in view of the Rugby World Cup this fall and especially the 2024 Olympics in Paris.“, specifies Didier Fontenille. So don’t panic, but “a lot of vigilance and organization”Covars experts agree.