Tiger mosquito in Antibes: a year after the epidemic
In the summer and autumn of 2025 Antibes experienced the largest chikungunya fever outbreak in continental France: around 140 cases, thousands of SMS alerts and the most extensive mosquito-control operation in the country’s history. A year on, the town has almost forgotten about it — and the culprit, the tiger mosquito, no longer inspires the same fear.
🏛 Epicentre of the epidemic: how it all began
The first cases were recorded in the summer of 2025 in the Saint-Claude district in the north of Antibes. The outbreak was triggered by the importation of the virus by people returning from Réunion Island, where at the time one of the largest chikungunya epidemics in recent years was raging — and the local tiger mosquito became the vector on the spot. The Saint-Claude and Comb districts quickly became the largest focus of the epidemic in France.
According to the Prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes, by 27 October about 140 cases had been registered in Antibes — more than anywhere else in the continental part of the country, and the last case was detected on 30 October. City authorities had to send out more than 11,000 emergency SMS alerts to residents of northern Antibes.
🦟 At war with mosquitoes: a large-scale operation
In response to the outbreak authorities launched, according to France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the largest mosquito-control campaign in the history of continental France: insecticide treatments were carried out over 13 kilometres of territory — in the Saint-Claude, Rastin, Sarrazin, Terre-Blanche, Am-du-Purgatoire districts and along the Route de Grasse. At the same time, stagnant water sites were eliminated and an information campaign was conducted among residents.
The Regional Health Agency (ARS) called the situation unprecedented for continental France — an outbreak of this scale had never been recorded in the metropolis before.
🏡 Life after the epidemic: how Antibes has changed
Today, almost a year later, Antibes residents barely remember those events. In the districts that were the epicentre of the epidemic, mosquitoes are rarely seen.
«This summer nobody bit me, — says Nadia, a resident of the Élise Gardens quarter. — Maybe it’s the result of last year’s measures or simply that it’s too hot for mosquitoes.»
Pharmacists also report a drop in demand for insect repellents.
🌡 Climatic factor: heat against mosquitoes
The anomalous heat of the summer of 2026 may have been another reason for the decline in mosquito activity: extreme temperatures and dried-up water bodies leave fewer places for larvae to breed. While the whole region is discussing heat and storms, and in Nice because of the same heat they even limited air conditioner use — the tiger mosquito is hardly mentioned.
«Right now everyone talks about the heat, not mosquitoes, — says Patrick Verrier, a resident of the Comb district. — Chikungunya is a word I’ve almost forgotten.»
📊 Lessons from the past: prevention as a priority
Despite the lull, Antibes authorities continue to pay attention to prevention:
- regularly check abandoned plots for stagnant water;
- distribute informational materials among residents.
«We prefer prevention to mass insecticidal spraying, — says a representative of the city administration. — It is a more environmentally friendly approach.»
🌿 A future without fear: what next?
Today the tiger mosquito no longer provokes the same fear among Antibes residents. But experts warn it is too early to relax — prevention and vigilance remain key measures against new outbreaks. While the town prepares for a new tourist season and discusses Jean Reno’s literary debut, the prefecture’s archival reports are the only reminders of last year’s epidemic.
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Photo: WANG Jared / Pexels