Three cases of West Nile infection, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, have been identified in the south of France.
The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of the PACA region announced that three cases of West Nile virus infection have been identified in the Var department. The three people concerned live near Ollioules, Six-Fours-les-Plages and La Seyne-sur-Mer. Note that a case concerning a horse was detected in the same period in Six-Fours-les-Plages.
This disease is not common in France and causes some effects, although rare, including “neurological complications” particularly in the elderly. The agency advises consulting your doctor “in the presence of suggestive symptoms” such as the “sudden onset of fever accompanied by headaches, muscle pain, a rash, or even behavioral disorders or incoherent speech.”
An “asymptomatic” infection
The ARS explains that the transmission of the West Nile virus occurs exclusively through mosquitoes, mainly of the Culex genus. Contaminated through contact with infected birds, carriers transmit the virus to humans when they bite them. “There is no transmission of the virus from human to human (or from horse to human) via mosquitoes,” the authority assures. “Humans and horses are accidental hosts,” adds Santé publique France.
According to the organization, the disease does not present any particular danger, since, “in most cases, human infection with West Nile virus is asymptomatic.” However, it should be noted that, “in some cases, the disease manifests itself by a pseudo-flu syndrome (fever, headache, muscle pain), sometimes accompanied by a rash,” explains the ARS.
Faced with the three cases of infection, the ARS PACA wishes to raise awareness among “establishments and health professionals in the sector to identify and screen any suspected cases”. Additional measures regarding blood donation have also been put in place in the region. To protect themselves from bites, residents of the region are encouraged to wear loose clothing, use repellents or install mosquito nets.