Warning for British partygoers heading to Ibiza as a disease with pandemic potential hits the holiday hotspot
British holidaymakers have been issued a new warning about the spread of ‘bonebreaker fever’ in Ibiza.
Two cases of dengue fever, believed to be locally acquired, have raised concerns that the virus is spreading under the radar.
Experts fear dozens more will fall ill, warning that mosquitoes carrying the disease will become widespread in April.
Dengue, which is nicknamed because of the agonizing pain it inflicts on sufferers, typically occurs in tropical parts of the world, such as parts of Africa, Asia and South America.
It infects an estimated 400 million people per year and kills about 40,000.
Famous for its raucous parties and sun-drenched beaches, the Balearic Island attracts millions of tourists every year. Neither case has been proven to be locally acquired, researchers wrote in the journal Euro Surveillance. But the evidence suggests both were, the team said
The biting insect, which feeds all day long, has already spread across much of Europe in recent years – including France, Spain and Italy – as warmer conditions have allowed it to move alongside people or through the transport of goods can travel.
WHO chiefs say it poses a ‘pandemic threat’.
Virologists say citizens should be aware of the possible spread of dengue in Ibiza.
Famous for its raucous parties and sun-drenched beaches, the Balearic Island attracts millions of tourists every year.
Neither case has been proven to be locally acquired, researchers wrote in the Euro supervision log.
But the evidence suggests both were, the team said.
The two cases among German holidaymakers, who both traveled separately, occurred in 2022.
Positive laboratory tests confirmed the disease in 2023, which made headlines at the time.
The patient’s name or age was not recorded by the researchers. But local reports at the time said they were in their 20s and 30s.
In issuing the new warning, experts noted that the first – who visited the island for a week in August – developed symptoms synonymous with the infection – fever, rash and joint pain – on the day they returned to Germany.
The patient recorded a positive dengue test result eight days later.
One of their traveling companions also developed a fever and a runny nose. Another suffered from a sore throat, runny nose and joint pain.
Neither underwent tests because they did not require medical attention.
The second case traveled from Germany to the same town in Ibiza in early October, for just under three weeks.
They developed similar symptoms the day after returning home, with a positive test confirmed five days later.
Two family travel companions also reported signs of the infection days later.
However, again they did not undergo diagnostic tests.
But the family admitted they had suffered mosquito bites at their accommodation on the island.
The second case had also spent two weeks in a ‘dengue endemic country’ before heading to Ibiza.
Experts wrote in the journal that there is evidence that “the most likely transmission occurred through mosquito bites, but other possibilities cannot be completely ruled out.”
They added: ‘Although the source case assured that they had not been bitten by mosquitoes and that they had spent the entire symptomatic period at home, it is possible that the bites went unnoticed.
‘The lack of detection of additional cases among Ibiza residents, especially during the temporary gap between the two German cases, suggests that some cases likely linked to this outbreak may have gone undetected.
‘It is very important to raise awareness about the detection of dengue cases in Spain and other European countries.’
Dengue has caused disease outbreaks throughout history, the first of which occurred in the West Indies in 1635.
The disease struck Europe in 2010 and was first discovered in Ibiza in 2014.
The latest data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that 71 cases of locally acquired dengue have been reported in 2022, of which 65 were reported in France and six in Spain.
Experts fear dozens more will fall ill, warning that mosquitoes carrying the disease will become widespread in April. Dengue, nicknamed ‘bonebreaker fever’ because of the agonizing pain it inflicts on sufferers, is typically found in tropical parts of the world, such as parts of Africa, Asia and South America
The toll is equal to the total reported in the decade before.
Some people infected with dengue will not develop any symptoms. But those that do usually start four to 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
These include fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting, and a patchy rash consisting of raised spots.
Most people recover without treatment within a few days.
However, some develop a severe form of the disease. This can cause abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums or nose, and extreme fatigue.
Although there is no treatment, patients are kept in the hospital until they recover. Resting, drinking plenty of fluids and taking paracetamol is recommended.
Dengue is one of the diseases that experts have warned will eventually take hold in Britain thanks to climate change, making Britain more hospitable to their carriers.
Transmission of the virus, unlike imported cases, has become an increasing health care problem in Europe as it marches north from the tropics.