BAG reports: The number of dengue fever cases in Switzerland is increasing

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In addition to dengue fever, the number of cases of chikungunya fever has also increased from 2 reports in 2022 to 17 in the current year, the BAG shows in its latest bulletin. The number of malaria reports increased from 241 to 272.

For the first time since 2019, Switzerland also detected an infection with the Zika virus, another disease transmitted by mosquitoes, in May.

According to the BAG, the increase can be attributed to increased travel activity following the Covid-19 pandemic. The numbers have returned to approximately pre-pandemic levels.

The presence of tiger mosquitoes in Switzerland does not necessarily mean that an outbreak of dengue fever will occur. However, local transmission is possible if a person infected in an endemic area is bitten by a local mosquito, the BAG writes at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.

The tiger mosquito is therefore controlled by the cantons and its spread is limited. In addition to the risk of transmission, the tiger mosquito can also be “extremely annoying.”

The BAG assures that none of the reported infected people were infected in Switzerland or Europe. Most of those registered returned from South and Southeast Asia and Central and South America. However, the West Nile fever virus was only found in mosquitoes in Ticino in August. (SDA)

Source:Blick