Deadly health warning for Aussies travelling to Europe this year

Australians who choose to ‘chase the European summer’ could be putting their health and even their life at risk, experts warn.

More travellers are being struck down by a group of insidious diseases which cause crippling fever, terrible stomach pain, bleeding gums and even death.

Diseases dengue fever, yellow fever, Nile virus and even the Zika virus, are all spread by mosquitoes which once avoided Europe in favour of warmer climates.

But now three varieties of mosquito have set-up self sustaining colonies across Europe putting travellers and locals at risk.

Cases of dengue alone doubled in 2023 and are expected to ‘explode’ in 2024 with one seasoned traveller describing it as ‘a terrifying plague’. 

According to the European Centre for Disease Patrol and prevention residents of and travellers to 13 countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain are at serious risk. 

The disease-carrying bugs used to arrive with travellers from warmer climates like Africa, limiting the risk of serious illness spreading far and wide.

Two varieties of mosquito are causing the majority of health issues across the continent: Aedes albopictus, known for transmitting dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses and Aedes aegypti, a vector of yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

And while not yet thriving, the insects are also on the rise in Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Sweden.

The Culex pipiens mosquito, responsible for the spread of West Nile virus, is a concern it is also native to Europe.

Locally acquired cases of dengue fever doubled last year to 130 and there were 4900 cases in total.

Between 2010 and 2021 there was a total of 70 local cases of the disease making the spike to 130 cases last year alone ‘a problem’ for authorities.

Early data suggests 2024 is set to smash those records.

Click here to resize this module

However, it appears cases of the Nile Virus are coming down with 713 cases detected last year, leading to 67 deaths. 

This is in contract to the record-high of 1133 cases the year before.

Dengue is the second most commonly identified cause of fever in unwell international travellers.

Symptoms of dengue include a high fever (40°C/104°F), a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, a rash. 

If symptoms get worse after two days – or once the fever recedes – then urgent medical attention is required.

36,000 people die from dengue fever worldwide each year.

The risk of death among those with severe dengue is 0.8% to 2.5%, and with adequate treatment this is less than 1%. However, those who develop significantly low blood pressure may have a fatality rate of up to 26%.