Overview
- Health experts led by Tomas Jelinek now recommend that people returning from dengue- or chikungunya-endemic regions protect themselves from mosquito bites for two weeks after travel.
- The advice aims to prevent viremic travelers from infecting Aedes “tiger” mosquitoes, which can then transmit the viruses to other people.
- Practical steps include daytime use of insect repellent, wearing long clothing, and avoiding outdoor exposure in areas where tiger mosquitoes live.
- Officials note the risk is small but rising because Aedes species have spread in southern Europe and are now increasingly recorded in southern Germany.
- Surveillance of people and mosquitoes plus these simple individual measures together reduce the chance of small local outbreaks and protect vulnerable community members.