Risk of mosquito-borne diseases rising in Europe, says health agency

Europe recorded almost as many locally caught cases of dengue in 2022 as it had over the previous 11 years, new figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show.

There were 71 cases of the disease - which generally causes fever and muscle pain but can be more severe and even sometimes fatal - last year, mainly in France. Between 2010 and 2021, there were 74 cases.

The health agency warned at a press conference on Thursday there is an increasing risk of a number of mosquito-borne diseases in the European region, including dengue, zika, chikungunya and West Nile virus, linked to the changing climate and the spread of mosquitoes carrying the viruses.

"If this continues, we can expect to see more cases and possibly deaths from diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever," said Andrea Ammon, ECDC director. "Efforts need to...