Tropical Diseases Like Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Are on the Rise in Europe
Climate change is enabling invasive mosquito species like the Asian tiger mosquito to thrive in Europe, leading to local outbreaks of tropical diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Researchers warn that as temperatures rise, these disease vectors are expanding their range further north.
Why it matters
It underscores the public health implications of climate change as previously tropical health risks become localized in temperate regions.
As climate change increases temperatures across Europe, invasive mosquitoes are spreading and introducing disease agents that Europeans would usually think about only when traveling to other continents. The Fano outbreak wasn’t the first time dengue had been detected as spreading locally in mainland Europe, but it was significantly larger than previous incidents, with 199 cases detected between mid-August and mid-October of 2024. Over the past few years, European countries have reported outbreaks of other mosquito-borne viruses such as chikungunya, a painful disease that causes joint swelling, and West Nile virus. In a heating world, so-called tropical diseases are no longer restricted to tropical regions—and researchers expect the trend to continue.
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