MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. EU countries have recorded an increase in their rates of unusual infection cases, which may indicate the presence of artificial hotbeds caused by the activities of US military biologists, said Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov.

He said US military specialists have mastered techniques of adapting and growing disease carriers after collecting them from their natural habitats. The methods they have developed make it possible to produce infected mosquitoes and ticks in laboratories.

"Said research activity is followed by an exacerbated epidemic situation and expanded habitats of disease carriers. In this particular case, we are talking about the establishment of artificial hotbeds of feral herd infections. Given the uncontrolled nature of the spread of disease carriers, entire countries and regions may be involved in the epidemic process. <...> At the same time, an increase in the incidence of uncharacteristic arthropod-borne infections has been recorded in the EU countries," Kirillov said.

He added that according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, more cases of dengue fever were registered in Europe in 2022 than in all of the previous decade. There was also a spike in West Nile fever cases, with more than 1,000 cases being registered, 92 of them fatal, Kirillov said, citing data from the center.

Zika fever infections associated with mosquito bites have been recorded in France for the first time, Kirillov said.