Due to pest control contractors spraying insecticides on trees, green areas, and mosquito breeding grounds in the early hours of Thursday, roads were closed in the southern part of Paris, and people were asked to stay in their homes.
Scenes like these are common in tropical cities in Southeast Asia, and the presence of tiger mosquitoes, which can carry diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, is becoming increasingly widespread in Europe.
Anne Souyris, Deputy Mayor of Paris responsible for health policy, stated in an interview with BFM television, "This was a first in Paris, but not the first in France. The south of France has been affected by tiger mosquitoes for several years."
City officials are attempting to prevent a transmission chain from developing in the Paris region, which is estimated to be home to around 12 million people.
If a tiger mosquito bites a person who has brought the virus from abroad, that person becomes a carrier of the disease.
The tiger mosquito, also known as Aedes albopictus, arrived in Southern Europe in the first decade of this century and has since rapidly moved northward, settling in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
Health experts say that partly due to climate change, the mosquitoes have thrived on the continent, with warmer weather shortening their incubation periods and winters no longer being cold enough to kill off the pests.
