The overseas French territory of Guadeloupe declared a dengue epidemic on Thursday, with authorities noting the outbreak was being driven by a less common strain of the mosquito-borne disease.

“Dengue fever has entered the epidemic phase,” said a statement issued by the mayors’ association and the regional health authorities on Thursday night.

This year, “a strain of the dengue virus that has not circulated much in the last 20 years” is causing authorities to fear the possibility of “severe forms” with “a high number of cases to be expected if control and prevention actions are not implemented”, the statement added.

The dengue 3 serotype (DENV-3) is one of four variants of the virus.

The health authorities said among 62 samples analyzed between late September and mid-October, 97 percent were caused by DENV-3.

The seasonal caseload at clinics of around 80 per week expected by the French public health agency has been far surpassed. At the end of October the agency estimated the weekly figure hit 540, more than double the number seen in September.

Hospitals were reporting a similar spike, with around 40 emergency room visits per week for suspected dengue cases, compared with 25 in September.

Dengue can cause high fever, fatigue and body aches, but most people have no symptoms. Severe cases can trigger bleeding, internally or from the mouth and nose.

The Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue—identifiable by its black and white striped legs—breeds in stagnant pools.

In their joint statement, the Guadeloupe authorities stressed the need “to combat mosquito vectors and breeding grounds for larvae that can develop in water reservoirs around or inside homes, which may have accumulated after recent rainfall.”

It also advised people to wear loose-fitting clothing covering the skin, to apply insect repellent and to use mosquito netting over beds.

Globally, health officials have warned that climate change and urbanization are turning dengue into a year-round crisis.

In October, the UN health agency said the number of reported dengue cases worldwide has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, reported in just the first eight months of 2024.

© 2024 AFP