[News on the presence of the tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus in metropolitan France].

Aedes albopictus (Tiger mosquito) lives mostly in urban areas. The females lay their eggs in containers close to the stagnant water. Aedes albopictus is spreading worldwide, helped by international transports of tires. In metropolitan France, it has settled down in the French Riviera since 2004, in Corsica since 2006. It is also present in other Mediterranean countries like Italy and Spain. Since Italian outbreak in summer 2007, the risk to acquire an autochthonous chikungunya or dengue diseases in France is high. To limit that risk, the French Health Ministry elaborated in 2006, a national programme. This plan includes preventive actions for patients suspected of chikungunya or dengue after having come back from a tropical area.