People get home from a trip to a hotspot, they come down with dengue, rest for a few days and then get back to their normal lives. Problems arise when dengue-infected individuals find themselves in a statistically unlikely situation: the weather in their home country is warm, they live in an urban area, or they get bitten at home by an Aedes mosquito, which then carries the dengue virus to another person.
Dengue is generally transmitted through the Aedes mosquito. In order for local transmission to occur in Europe, the mosquito needs to have established itself in the community. That means, it needs to be able to live, breed and survive there. There are different types of Aedes mosquito, but the one most widespread in Europe is the aedes albopictus. Temperatures need to be high between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius for the mosquitos to thrive, so the threat is restricted to warmer months. And the virus has to be introduced into the community. Because dengue is not endemic in Europe, this occurs when a traveler brings the virus from abroad.
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