Latest news with #AndreaRadici
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Deadly tropical virus could reach London due to rising temperatures, scientists warn
A deadly tropical virus could become a growing threat in London and other major European cities due to climate change, scientists have warned. Dengue fever, which is spread by the Asian tiger mosquito, has been moving steadily northward in Europe since first appearing in Albania in 1979. A new study published in Global Change Biology found the mosquito has accelerated its spread in France, moving from about four miles per year in 2006 to 12 miles per year in 2024. 'Extrapolating from the results, it is estimated that the mosquito could establish itself in northern France within a decade, from where it could easily reach London, which is already climatically suitable for hosting this vector,' said Andrea Radici of Montpellier University, the lead author of the study. The research team used climate and environmental modelling alongside two decades of data to track the movement and expansion of Aedes albopictus, the scientific name for the Asian tiger mosquito. They found that while southern Europe has long been suitable for the species, large cities further north, including London, Vienna, Strasbourg and Frankfurt, are now climatically favourable for the mosquito. The study warns that recent outbreaks of dengue in Europe could signal a broader trend, with the risk of transmission expanding from Mediterranean coasts into western France and northern Spain. Although most people infected with dengue recover, the disease can cause severe complications, including internal bleeding, sudden drops in blood pressure and even death. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the number of dengue cases has increased significantly in recent decades. There were 14.6 million cases reported to the WHO in 2024, compared to 505,430 cases in 2000. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries, the WHO said. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recorded 304 cases of dengue in 2024, compared with a cumulative total of 275 cases over the previous 15 years. Scientists believe this sharp increase may indicate that dengue is on the path to becoming endemic in parts of Europe, fuelled both by climate change and rising levels of international travel. Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The EU monitoring agency says that 2024 was the hottest year on record both globally and in Europe, which experienced its second-highest number of 'heat stress' days.
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Dengue fever warning as climate change to 'drive mosquitoes with disease to UK'
Dengue fever could be infecting people in Britain soon as Asian Tiger mosquitoes migrate to new areas as a result of climate change, according to a new scientific study A deadly mosquito-borne disease could be coming to Britain in just a few years' time because of global warming, scientists have warned. Dengue fever is a tropical disease that usually only poses a threat to travellers heading on far-flung holidays abroad, being found in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands. Cases have also been recorded in Croatia, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. But a new study has found that the infection - which begins with pain behind the eyes before leading to a potentially deadly fever - is likely to be found in a number of new locations over the coming years due to rising temperatures. London is among the cities at risk. According to models used in the new French study, the invasion of dengue-carrying Asian Tiger mosquitoes is expected to spread to the north of France within a decade, before making the short trip across the Channel to southeast England. The Asian Tiger species has already been found in Kent, though there is no evidence yet of an established population in the county. Study author Andrea Radici PhD, from the the Université de Montpellier in France, said: "Extrapolating from the results, it is estimated that the mosquito could establish itself in northern France within a decade, from where it could easily reach London - which is already climatically suitable for hosting this vector." Other major European cities on the at-risk list include Vienna, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt. This year, the UK Health Security Agency announced it had placed specialist mosquito traps at motorway service stations across England. It is hoped these will catch insects arriving on lorries which carry vector-borne diseases, such as dengue and the West Nile virus. The traps are also targeted at the Culex pipiens mosquito, which has ravaged Britain's native blackbird population with the Usutu virus in recent years. What is dengue fever? Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection transmitted to humans via the bite of infected mosquitoes. In most people, it results in a mild illness that clears within two weeks - but a small number can develop a more severe, and potentially fatal reaction to the infection. According to the NHS, symptoms of severe dengue include a high temperature, a severe headache, pain behind your eyes, muscle and joint pain, feeling or being sick, swollen glands, or a blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots. Anyone who shows symptoms of severe dengue after travelling to a country where dengue is found should call 999.
