Antibes, a popular city on the French Riviera, has set an unwelcome national record, registering 71 locally transmitted cases of chikungunya this summer. This marks the largest outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness ever recorded in mainland France, according to figures released by regional health authorities.
The concentration of cases within Antibes is particularly striking, representing the vast majority of the 79 total infections identified across the entire Alpes-Maritimes department. Data compiled by Santé publique France, the national public health agency, confirms this as the most significant episode in terms of case numbers ever documented in mainland France.
The outbreak is predominantly affecting the northern part of Antibes, near the motorway, in areas dense with residential buildings and villas. Health officials note that the rate of new infections has shown no signs of abating, with a substantial increase observed since earlier reports.
This unprecedented situation for Antibes reflects a broader, challenging summer for mainland France regarding chikungunya. Over 300 cases of the illness, spread by the invasive tiger mosquito, were recorded nationally by Santé publique France this summer, a figure that has since continued to climb. As of early September, the agency had identified 34 distinct chikungunya outbreaks, totaling 301 cases, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue.
Investigations by Santé publique France suggest the initial “primary imported case” that triggered the local transmission originated from an individual returning from Madagascar. Beyond Antibes, other communities in France’s southern region have also been affected, with Fréjus recording 51 cases and Vitrolles officially reporting 46.
While the spread is partly linked to a large-scale epidemic that recently affected Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, its robust development in mainland France is also increasingly attributed to climate change. Rising temperatures are creating ideal conditions for the tiger mosquito, a species not historically present in mainland France, to thrive and expand its range, thereby increasing the risk of such outbreaks.
