The health authorities are concerned: a giant tick from Africa and Asia is gaining ground in France with global warming. The problem is that it can transmit a very dangerous virus.
A discreet but formidable creature is gradually installed on French territory. Observed initially in the south, in departments such as the Gard, Hérault or the Alpes-Maritimes, it now goes up the Rhône valley, gaining ground as the climate warms up. The arrival of this species from elsewhere does not go unnoticed: its unusual size and its aggressive behavior worry the health authorities.
This creature is a tick. But not an ordinary tick: it is a question of Hyalomma marginatumits scientific name, nicknamed “the giant tick. And for good reason: it is practically twice as large as classic ticks – up to 8 millimeters against 1 to 5 mm! Recognizable by its striped legs and dark back, it is really impressive. But its size is not its only characteristic: it worries by its movements and, above all, by the danger it represents.
Unlike conventional ticks, often discreet and forestry, Hyalomma marginatum Prefers open environments like the garrigue. Coming from Africa and Asia, this species settled in the warm regions of the Mediterranean periphery, its expansion being facilitated by mild winters and dry summers. From now on, it is progressing north, carried by migratory birds or hung on farming animals. This year, she was spotted for the first time in Ardèche, in early spring, by a veterinarian who immediately gave the alert after having found it in her own garden.
And there is reason to worry: not only can this tick follow a person up to 100 meters to prick them, but above all, it can be the bearer of the Crime-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (FHCC), a rare but formidable disease, whose initial symptoms resemble those of a flu. Fever, chills, muscle pain … before in some cases, much more serious disorders appear: internal bleeding, organ failures, and in the most severe situations, death.
The virus, which has not yet infected with humans in France, has however been identified in ticks collected in cattle farms in the Pyrénées-Orientales. In Spain, a first death was reported in 2024. These are disturbing signs, even if the specialists recall that the risk remains very low. Unlike other species such as tick Ixodes ricinuscarrier of Lyme disease and widely spread in France, the giant tick seems to cling more rarely to man, especially when he remains motionless.
Even if the risk of infection remains very low in France, the health authorities advise to redouble vigilance. No vaccine exists and the only treatment currently used against the FHCC (Ribavirin, an antiviral) is really effective only at the very beginning of the disease. Faced with this discreet threat, prevention remains the best protection: avoiding high herbs, wearing covering clothes, using repellents and carefully inspect your body after an outing. The giant tick is not yet everywhere in France, but it advances.
