Warning to tourists heading to Spain as 18th century bleeding gum virus attacks party hotspot

Tourists traveling to Spain have been warned about the spread of a virus that causes vomiting, bleeding gums and pain behind the eyes.

Two cases of dengue, thought to be locally acquired in the country’s party capital Ibiza, have raised concerns that the virus is spreading secretly.

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Scientists fear this means dozens of people have unknowingly been infected.

The debilitating disease, nicknamed “breakbone fever” because of its pain, is transmitted by mosquitoes and is most common in tropical areas such as Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

However, creatures infected by the disease are becoming more common in Europe, with cases recorded in Italy, France and Spain.

Dengue infects up to 400 million people and kills 40,000 – and cases are rising.

For example, 2019 saw the highest number of dengue cases ever recorded, with 5.2 million – almost double the previous year.

The heads of the World Health Organization (WHO) have called it the fastest-spreading tropical disease in the world and say it is a “pandemic threat”.

Virologists say Britons need to be aware of the potential spread of dengue fever in Spain and other European countries.

The two cases reported in Ibiza in 2021 were German tourists who traveled separately.

Neither case was proven to be locally acquired, the researchers wrote in Euro Surveillance Journal.

But evidence suggests both were captured in the country, the authors said.

Other possible cases

Writing in the journal, the experts said the evidence suggests that “the most likely transmission occurred through mosquito bites, but other possibilities cannot be entirely excluded.”

They added: “Although the source of the case assured that they were not bitten by mosquitoes and that they spent the entire symptomatic period at home, it is possible that the bites went unnoticed.

“The lack of detection of additional cases in Ibiza residents, especially during the time lag between the two German cases, suggests that some cases likely linked to this outbreak may have gone unnoticed.

“It is very important to raise awareness about detecting dengue cases in Spain and other European countries.”

In 2022, there were 71 cases of locally acquired dengue fever in Europe, the same number recorded in the previous 11 years – 65 of these occurred in France and six in Spain.

What is dengue?

Dengue is a member of the Flaviviridae family, transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

The first descriptions of an outbreak appeared at the end of the 18th century.

Other outbreaks occurred in the 19th century, before becoming more widespread over the past 150 years.

Today, this virus is responsible for more illnesses and deaths than any other disease transmitted to people by insects, according to Dengue Virus Disease.

About half the world’s population is now at risk, with 100 to 400 million infections occurring every year, the WHO estimates.

Rabies in Vietnam

Brits planning to go to Vietnam in the coming months have been warned that the country is experiencing a rise in rabies, with a 160 per cent rise in human deaths recorded so far this year.

Since January, 29 people have died from the virus in the Southeast Asian country.

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This is compared to 11 deaths in the first three months of 2023, according to government data.

Experts warn that the number of deaths will likely increase due to unvaccinated animals and the country’s important dog and cat meat trade.

“Unfortunately, we can expect an increasing number of people to die from rabies in 2024, in line with the dramatic, more than double, increase in animal rabies in 2023,” a spokesperson for the WHO Vietnam office told the Telegraph.

There are two main forms of the disease.

‘Raging rabies’ kills people within days of triggering hallucinations, hyperactivity, loss of coordination and fear of water or fresh air.

On the other hand, “paralytic rabies,” which causes 20% of cases, gradually stops a person’s muscles from working until they enter a deadly coma.

Vaccines can be administered before and after exposure, while treatments including immunoglobulin and monoclonal antibodies are prescribed in severe cases.

However, in Vietnam, access to these tools is limited in some regions.