In Austria, 30 to 120 dengue virus infections are diagnosed each year, so far without exception among returning travelers.
As a result of climate change, the most important vectors of the dengue virus, the Asian tiger mosquito and the yellow fever mosquito, have also spread in Europe in recent years. The Asian tiger mosquito is already widespread, including in Austria; the yellow fever mosquito has been established in Cyprus since the previous year, and further spread to other European countries cannot be ruled out. Thus, transmission of the dengue virus within Europe is also possible: infections within Europe have been reported every year since 2018. The reproduction of the virus within the mosquitoes is essentially dependent on the outside temperature.
The initial infection is usually harmless, but after surviving the initial infection, a second infection can be severe (dengue hemorrhagic fever) and fatal.
