Travellers to the Mediterranean may soon be sleeping under mosquito nets and worrying about Dengue fever, British experts warn today.
The researchers at Norwich Medical School say the Spanish Mediterranean, the Italian coast and the Po Valley in Italy are most at risk.
According to the study, global warming will bring Dengue-bearing mosquitoes to Europe within a few decades.
They based their findings, reported in BMC Public Health on a study of the spread of the disease in Mexico.
Researcher Professor Paul Hunter said: "The exact incidence of dengue fever is dependent on several other factors, some of which we were unable to model at this stage.
"Nevertheless, public health agencies in high risk areas need to plan, implement and evaluate active reporting of mosquito populations and clinical surveillance by local doctors.
"Work should be carried out to improve awareness of the increased risk amongst health practitioners and the general public."
Climate change and the emergence of vector-borne diseases in Europe: case study of dengue fever. BMC Public Health 22 August 2014 [abstract]
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