The outbreaks dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases are on the rise in Europe as climate change creates more favorable conditions for the spread of invasive mosquitoes, the EU’s health agency has warned.

In 2023 they were registered in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (European Free Trade Area – EFTA) 130 domestic dengue cases, compared to 71 in 2022.

This is a “significant increase” compared to 2010-2021 when a total of 73 cases were recorded, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement.

The number of imported cases also skyrocketed, reaching 1,572 in 2022 and 4,900 in 2023, the highest level since records began in 2008.

“Europe is already noticing that the climate change it creates more favorable conditions for the spread of invasive mosquitoes in areas where they were not present before and for the infection of a greater number of people with diseases such as dengue fever”, estimated ECDC director Andrea Eamon.

For West Nile virus in 2023, 713 domestic cases were recorded in 123 regions of nine EU countries, with 67 deaths.

This is down from 1,133 cases in 2022, although the number of affected areas is the highest since 2018.

The mosquito responsible for the spread of West Nile virus, the common mosquito of the genus Culex, originates in Europe and has spread throughout the EU and EFTA, according to the ECDC.

The Asian tiger mosquito (aedes albopictus), which transmits dengue, Zika and chikungunya, “is spreading further north, east and west and now has autonomous populations in 13 EU/EFTA countries”, the same source pointed out.

Furthermore, the tiger mosquito of the species Aedes aegypti, which carries diseases such as Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever, has recently established itself in Cyprus and other peripheral areas of the EU, such as Madeira and the French Caribbean islands.

“We expect climate change to have a significant impact on the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe, for example by creating favorable environmental conditions for the establishment and growth of mosquito populations,” the ECDC underlined.

The European Center believes that coordinated response measures – such as insect repellents, insecticides and disinfestations – are critical to limiting the spread of these diseases. Besides, removing stagnant water from balconies and gardens and taking protective measures are also important.