Paris Olympics ‘could be Dengue super-spread event’ warn UK public health experts who claim virus-carrying mosquitos are ‘perfectly adapted’ to the urban environment, despite coming from the tropics.

Visiting Paris during the Olympic Games will make you part of a ‘natural experiment’, as experts claim it could become a dengue fever ‘super-spreader event’. The mosquito-carried virus is already present in France’s capital with several cases in September of last year representing the most northerly outbreak recorded in Europe.

These are among a huge spike in dengue cases recorded in Europe, with climate change believed to be making the continent more hospitable for the mosquitoes that pass the infection to humans through bites. With over 15 million visitors, as well as thousands of athletes and dignitaries, predicted to descend upon Paris in July and August for the Olympics, there are fears infections could spread rapidly.

Experts say the bloodsucking insects which spread dengue, historically known as ‘breakbone fever’, are ‘perfectly adapted’ to the Parisian urban environment. Dengue picked up in Paris could also, in theory, go on to trigger more cases elsewhere as people carrying the virus return home, potentially seeding further outbreaks.

Writing in the Conversation, Dr. Mark Booth, an expert in parasite epidemiology at Newcastle University, said for the Olympics to become a super spreader event, a number of factors needed to overlap. Not only must there be enough mosquitoes, but enough people already infected with dengue, enough people who can get dengue, and enough time for the insects to transmit the infection between the two.

However, with the Olympics taking place between July 26 and August 11 and over 7.6 million known global cases of dengue recorded in 2024 so far, the potential for the event to amplify the spread of the virus is a real concern.