1. Home
  2. Infectious disease topics
  3. A–Z disease list
  4. Dengue
  5. Surveillance, threats and outbreaks
  6. Autochthonous vectorial transmission of dengue in EU/EEA

Autochthonous vectorial transmission of dengue virus in mainland EU/EEA, 2010-present

Dengue is an Aedes-borne disease widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Globally, the virus is predominantly transmitted by the Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. Aedes albopictus is established in a large part of Europe. Aedes aegypti is established notably in Cyprus, around the Black sea and in the outermost region of Madeira. 

Dengue is not endemic in mainland EU/EEA and the vast majority of the cases are travellers infected outside of mainland EU/EEA. When the environmental conditions are favourable, in areas where the competent vectors are established, viraemic travel-related cases may generate a local transmission of the virus, as demonstrated by the sporadic events of dengue virus transmission since 2010.

YearCountryDepartment or regions affectedNumber of autochthonous casesProbable period of virus circulationReferences
2010CroatiaKorčula Island and the Pelješac peninsula10August–October[1-3]
2010FranceAlpes-Maritimes department2August–September[4-6]
2013FranceBouches–du-Rhône department1September-October[6,7]
2014FranceVar and Bouches-du-Rhône departments4July-September[6,8]
2015FranceGard department8July–September [6,9,10]
2018FranceAlpes Maritimes, Hérault, and Gard departments8September–October[6,11]
2018SpainCatalonia region, Murcia region or province of Cádiz6August-October[11-13]
2019SpainCatalonia region1September[14,15]
2019FranceAlpes-Maritimes and Rhône departments9July-September[15-17]
2020FranceHérault, Var, Alpes-Maritime, and Gard departments13July-October[18-20]
2020ItalyVeneto region10August[21]
2021FranceVar and Hérault departments2July and September[22, 23]
2022FrancePyrénées-Orientales, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Tarn et Garonne, Var, Alpes-Maritime, and Corsica departments65June- September[24,25]
2022SpainIbiza6August-October[26]
2023FranceBouches–du-Rhône (4 cases), Pyrénées-Orientales (11 cases), Gard (1 case), Alpes-Maritimes or Var (1 case) departments.17July-August[27]
2023ItalyLodi (25 cases), Rome (9 cases) and Latina (2 cases) provinces.36End of July-September[28]
2023SpainCatalonia region (1 case)1August-

The table combines information published in official reports and in the scientific literature plus information that was provided by the public health institutes and/or the ministries of health in the affected Member States.

  1. Gjenero-Margan I, Aleraj B, Krajcar D, Lesnikar V, Klobucar A, Pem-Novosel I, et al. Autochthonous dengue fever in Croatia, August-September 2010. Euro Surveill. 2011 Mar 03;16(9) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21392489
  2. Kurolt IC, Betica-Radic L, Dakovic-Rode O, Franco L, Zelena H, Tenorio A, et al. Molecular characterization of dengue virus 1 from autochthonous dengue fever cases in Croatia. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2013 Mar;19(3):E163-5. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23279586
  3. Schmidt-Chanasit J, Haditsch M, Schoneberg I, Gunther S, Stark K, Frank C. Dengue virus infection in a traveller returning from Croatia to Germany. Euro Surveill. 2010 Oct 07;15(40) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20946759
  4. Vega-Rua A, Zouache K, Caro V, Diancourt L, Delaunay P, Grandadam M, et al. High efficiency of temperate Aedes albopictus to transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses in the Southeast of France. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59716. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23527259
  5. La Ruche G, Souares Y, Armengaud A, Peloux-Petiot F, Delaunay P, Despres P, et al. First two autochthonous dengue virus infections in metropolitan France, September 2010. Euro Surveill. 2010 Sep 30;15(39):19676. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20929659
  6. Franke F, Giron S, Cochet A, Jeannin C, Leparc-Goffart I, de Valk H, et al. Autochthonous chikungunya and dengue fever outbeak in mainland France, 2010-2018 [in French: Emergences de dengue et de chikungunya en France métropolitaine, 2010-2018]. Bull Epidémiol Hebd. 2019;19-20; 9 Jul 2019 Available at: http://beh.santepubliquefrance.fr/beh/2019/19-20/pdf/2019_19-20_2.pdf
  7. Marchand E, Prat C, Jeannin C, Lafont E, Bergmann T, Flusin O, et al. Autochthonous case of dengue in France, October 2013. Euro Surveill. 2013 Dec 12;18(50):20661. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24342514
  8. Giron S, Rizzi J, Leparc-Goffart I, Septfons A, Tine R, Cadiou B, et al. New occurrence of autochthonous cases of dengue fever in southeast France, August-September 2014. Bull Epidémiol Hebd. 2014;13-14:217. Available at: http://invs.santepubliquefrance.fr/beh/2015/13-14/pdf/2015_13-14_3.pdf
  9. Succo T, Leparc-Goffart I, Ferre JB, Roiz D, Broche B, Maquart M, et al. Autochthonous dengue outbreak in Nimes, South of France, July to September 2015. Euro Surveill. 2016 May 26;21(21) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27254729
  10. Succo T, Noel H, Nikolay B, Maquart M, Cochet A, Leparc-Goffart I, et al. Dengue serosurvey after a 2-month long outbreak in Nimes, France, 2015: was there more than met the eye? Euro Surveill. 2018 Jun;23(23) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29897042
  11. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid Risk Assessment: Local transmission of dengue fever in France and Spain, 22 October 2018. Stockholm: ECDC, 2018
  12. Monge S, Garcia-Ortuzar V, Lopez Hernandez B, Lopaz Perez MA, Delacour-Estrella S, Sanchez-Seco MP, et al. Characterization of the first autochthonous dengue outbreak in Spain (August-September 2018). Acta Trop. 2020 May;205:105402. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32088276
  13. Centro de Coordinación de Alertas y Emergencias Sanitarias. Primeros casos de dengue autóctono en España [in Spanish: First autochthonous cases of dengue in Spain}; November 2018 Madrid: Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social.,
  14. Agència de Salut Pública. L'Agència de Salut Pública confirma un altre cas de dengue autòcton a Catalunya [in Catalan: the public health agency confirms a new autochthonous case of dengue in Catalonia]; 18 September 2019. Barcelona: Agència de Salut Pública,. Available at: https://salutpublica.gencat.cat/ca/detalls/Article/Dengue-autocton
  15. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Rapid risk assessment: Autochthonous cases of dengue in Spain and France, 1 October 2019. Stockholm: ECDC. Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/rapid-risk-assessment-autochthonous-cases-dengue-spain-and-france,
  16. Santé publique France (SpF), Agence regionale de santé Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (ARS PACA). Surveillance épidémiologique en PACA. 16 October 2019. Saint-Maurice: SpF,
  17. Santé publique France, Agence regionale de santé Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. Surveillance épidémiologique en région Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. 14 October to 20 October 2019. Saint-Maurice: SpF. Available at: https://www.auvergne-rhone-alpes.ars.sante.fr/system/files/2019-10/PE_ARA_2019_23_bronchio_grippe.pdf
  18. Santé publique France, Agence régionale de santé Occitanie. Un cas autochtone de dengue confirmé dans l’Hérault. 31 July 2020. Montpellier: ARS Occitanie. Available at: https://www.herault.gouv.fr/content/download/34737/233309/file/2020_07_31_CP-Dengue-Cessenon-sur-Orb-34_V2-dm.pdf
  19. Vermeulen TD, Reimerink J, Reusken C, Giron S, de Vries PJ. Autochthonous dengue in two Dutch tourists visiting Departement Var, southern France, July 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020 Oct;25(39) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33006305
  20. Santé publique France. Chikungunya, dengue et zika - Données de la surveillance renforcée en France métropolitaine en 2020. Saint-Maurice: SPF; 2020. Available at: https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-a-transmission-vectorielle/chikungunya/articles/donnees-en-france-metropolitaine/chikungunya-dengue-et-zika-donnees-de-la-surveillance-renforcee-en-france-metropolitaine-en-2020
  21. Lazzarini L, Barzon L, Foglia F, Manfrin V, Pacenti M, Pavan G, et al. First autochthonous dengue outbreak in Italy, August 2020. Euro Surveill. 2020 Sep;25(36) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32914745
  22. Santé publique France, Agence régionale de santé Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (ARS PACA). Démoustication et surveillance renforcée après la détection d’un cas autochtone de dengue. 29 July 2021. Marseille: ARS PACA.
  23. Santé publique France. Surveillance des infections par les virus de la dengue, du chikungunya et du zika en France métropolitaine : données de l’année 2021. Saint Maurice. Available at: https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-a-transmission-vectorielle/chikungunya/documents/rapport-synthese/surveillance-des-infections-par-les-virus-de-la-dengue-du-chikungunya-et-du-zika-en-france-metropolitaine-donnees-de-l-annee-2021
  24. Santé publique France. Chikungunya, dengue et zika - Données de la surveillance renforcée en France métropolitaine en 2022. Saint-Maurice: SPF; 2022. Available at: https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-a-transmission-vectorielle/chikungunya/articles/donnees-en-france-metropolitaine/chikungunya-dengue-et-zika-donnees-de-la-surveillance-renforcee-en-france-metropolitaine-en-2022
  25. Cochet A, Calba C, Jourdain F, Grard G, Durand GA, Guinard A, et al. Autochthonous dengue in mainland France, 2022: geographical extension and incidence increase. Euro Surveill. 2022 Nov;27(44) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36330819
  26. Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social. Agrupación de casos de dengue autóctono en Ibiza [Cluster of autochthonous dengue cases in Ibiza]; 28 Februry 2023. Madrid. Available at: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/docs/20230228_ERR_Dengue_autoctono.pdf
  27. Santé publique France. Chikungunya, dengue et zika - Données de la surveillance renforcée en France métropolitaine en 2023. Saint-Maurice: SPF; 2023. Available at: https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/maladies-et-traumatismes/maladies-a-transmission-vectorielle/chikungunya/articles/donnees-en-france-metropolitaine/chikungunya-dengue-et-zika-donnees-de-la-surveillance-renforcee-en-france-metropolitaine-en-2023 
  28. Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS). Febre dengue: Ultimi aggiornamenti. Rome: ISS; 2023. Available at: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/febbre-dengue/aggiornamenti
Page last updated 28 Sep 2023