Tropical Diseases Like Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Are on the Rise in Europe

Mosquito-borne diseases including dengue fever and chikungunya have expanded their geographic range in Europe, with cases reported in countries where they were previously absent. Rising temperatures have enabled the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which carries both viruses, to survive in regions farther north than historically documented. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported increasing numbers of locally transmitted cases across southern and central European countries in recent years. Scientists attribute the shift to warmer winter and summer temperatures that allow mosquito populations to overwinter and reproduce in new areas.

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