Health. Chikungunya: First indigenous case detected in metropolitan France

On Wednesday, June 11, health authorities confirmed the detection of the first indigenous case of chikungunya of 2025 in mainland France, in the commune of La Crau (Var).

The term "native" means that the sick person contracted the virus directly on French territory, without having traveled to an area where this tropical disease usually circulates in the last 15 days.

This situation is worrying experts because it confirms that the virus can now be transmitted locally in metropolitan France, thanks to the presence of the tiger mosquito, which has gradually established itself in the majority of French departments in recent years.

Faced with this discovery, health services must act quickly. The Interdepartmental Agreement for the Control of Mosquitoes on the Mediterranean Coast (EID-Med) is currently carrying out intensive mosquito control operations around the infected person's home. These operations target both public spaces and private gardens in the area to quickly eliminate adult mosquitoes and their breeding grounds.

At the same time, teams from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Health Agency (ARS) and Public Health France are conducting a local survey. They are visiting homes in the affected neighborhood to identify any other cases, inform residents, and remind them of essential preventive measures.

Local healthcare professionals – private doctors, hospitals and testing laboratories – are also on alert to quickly detect new cases and treat patients with suspicious symptoms.

How is chikungunya transmitted?

Chikungunya is not transmitted directly from person to person. The virus must pass through an intermediary: the tiger mosquito. When this insect bites an infected person, it becomes a carrier of the virus. It can then transmit it to other people it bites.

Chikungunya usually manifests as a high fever accompanied by intense joint pain, which gives the disease its name ("chikungunya" means "walking bent over" in the Makonde language).

Patients may also experience significant muscle pain, marked fatigue, headaches and sometimes develop a rash.

How to protect yourself effectively?

Prevention is based on three complementary pillars that everyone can implement now:

• Protecting yourself from bites remains the top priority. Using skin repellents is especially important in the morning and late afternoon, when tiger mosquitoes are most active. Wearing long, loose-fitting clothing also limits access to the skin. Indoors, air conditioners and fans are valuable allies because they disrupt mosquito flight.
• Eliminate breeding sites. The tiger mosquito breeds in very small amounts of stagnant water. A simple weekly action is enough: systematically empty the cups under the plants, store away from the rain all objects that could retain water (toys, buckets, watering cans), check that the gutters are draining properly, etc.
• Finally, remaining vigilant for symptoms and consulting quickly in case of doubt allows for early treatment and limits the risk of complications.