The last thing people visiting romantic Paris this summer want to think about is the possibility of contracting dengue fever.
The mosquito-borne disease has been on the rise in France for several months as temperatures rise.
The timing is bad: the country is due to host the Olympics from late July, a big summer event that is expected to attract millions of visitors on top of the usual tourist numbers.
So France has appointed “dengue detectives” who will track disease hotspots, hunt for mosquito eggs and help curb the spread of the virus in French cities.
“The Olympics is certainly a key moment,” said Cécile Sommariva, director of health surveillance and safety at the Paris Metropolitan Health Authority (ARS). Telegraph“We are prioritizing surveillance in places where large gatherings take place, because that's where the risk of infection is highest.”
The ARS has launched a campaign to monitor mosquito numbers in Paris and its suburbs, setting up 526 nest traps that will be sent out for analysis each month.
The so-called criminals Aedes albopictusAlso known as the Asian tiger mosquito, this mosquito thrives in the summer climate of cities like Paris, which are hot, rainy and crowded.
As the Paris Olympics approaches, with more than 15 million visitors expected, authorities are tightening restrictions on “fan zones” such as airports that can draw visitors from around the world.
Symptoms of dengue include high fever, headache and nausea. Severe infection can be fatal, but this is rare if caught early.
The alarm over the dengue cases comes just months after France faced a massive bedbug infestation on Paris' public transport as the country prepared to host the Rugby World Cup, putting pressure on Transport for France to act quickly to eradicate the pests.
Last year, data analytics company Airfinity warned that global warming could lead to a 50-fold increase in local dengue transmission across France by 2030.
The threat of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever has increased in recent months, hitting an all-time high at the end of April.
Earlier this year, French health authorities warned of the risk of imported infections due to a rise in dengue cases in the Americas.
While it will be difficult to completely eradicate the virus, there are ways to limit its spread, given the large influx of visitors.
Health officials have set up a website to monitor the situation and are calling hotels, schools and other facilities, urging them to report and detect possible cases early. At some Olympic venues, they are setting up traps that emit a human-like scent to lure mosquitoes.
Parisians are also being encouraged to keep water from standing in their gardens to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
