Four chikungunya victims in Montpellier

First four Aboriginal victims

From the first autochthonous cases of chikungunya were detected at Montpellier : a situation that the health authorities had feared for a while. In effect, the tiger mosquito had settled around the Mediterranean for several years with 18 departments particularly affected, including Hérault.

Four people were infected with this virus after being bitten by the tiger mosquito in the city center of Montpellier. The “victims” are adults aged 40 to 60 who are part of the same family and who had not traveled to endemic areas, specifies the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Languedoc-Roussillon. These 4 people are doing well and are cured or on the way to recovery.

The ARS reacted quickly by upgrading the anti-dissemination plan for dengue fever and chikungunya from level 1 to level 3 and by introducing systematic mosquito control in the 150 meters surrounding the home (which represents the radius of action of a tiger mosquito).

A reassuring press conference

The ARS, which held a press conference on Tuesday, wanted to be reassuring: chikungunya is a benign disease that does not require hospitalization or heavy treatment. Symptoms very often boil down to fever (>38°.5 C), joint pain, headaches and body aches which can be treated with paracetamol.

This disease is not absolutely not comparable to Ebola !

The ARS specifies that since last spring, 171 cases of chikungunya have been reported in mainland France. However, this is the first time that indigenous cases have come to light.

The Regional Health Agency also recalls how to protect yourself from the tiger mosquitoby using mosquito repellents and by eliminating all stagnant water reserves close to houses (gutters, under flower pots, watering cans, rainwater tanks, etc.).

The ARS also specifies that the risks will decrease when temperatures fall below 10°C.