The tiger mosquito has striking stripes on its hind legs and is smaller than the common brown house mosquito. — ©rr
Antwerp –
Researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Sciensano are concerned about the rapid increase in the number of tiger mosquitoes. In 2022, tiger mosquitoes were found in twelve locations, last year there were already 25. In addition to Wilrijk, reports were also received in Kapelle-op-den-Bos and Puurs.
Between May and October 2023, six hundred reports were received from citizens who may have spotted tiger mosquitoes. “From those photos we were able to identify 27 tiger mosquitoes”, explains Javiero Rebolledo, an epidemiologist from Sciensano. “The reports came from eighteen locations, fifteen of which were new compared to 2022.” Furthermore, seven locations with tiger mosquitoes were also identified thanks to monitoring in motorway car parks.
“We expect that many new locations will emerge next year,” says Isra Deblauw, an entomologist at the ITM. “We are very concerned about the rapid progress. We now have reports from many different places, from Wilrijk and Puurs to Lebbeke, and places around Leuven and Ghent. Most of the tiger mosquitoes travel with returning holidaymakers.” (Read more below the photo)
Isra Deblauw sets a trap for the tiger mosquito. — ©rr
The tiger mosquito was found in Lebbeke and Wilrijk, near Campus Drie Eiken, in 2022 and the year before, which means the mosquito species probably winters there. “It is important to delay establishment and spread for as long as possible and prepare for the future. We urge the government to develop an integrated action plan with sufficient resources for prevention, monitoring and control.”
Virus
The tiger mosquito causes annoyance because it is a very aggressive species of mosquito and attacks even during the day. At the same time, the mosquito can transmit viruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. In 2021, a 44-year-old British woman died from an acute dengue infection while on holiday in Nice, France. At the time, there was a local epidemic that sickened dozens of people. Isra Deblauw: “On average, it takes five to ten years after the tiger mosquito has settled somewhere before a local epidemic occurs. For this you need, for example, a population of tiger mosquitoes and, for example, travelers returning from Asia with an infection. This possibility is small for the moment, but we must see that we can stop this for as long as possible.”
Tiger mosquitoes are controlled by exterminating the larvae with biological pellets in breeding areas such as sewers. “The Nature and Forestry Agency takes care of this. We do the monitoring,” says Isra Deblauw. “We also ask for the citizens’ help. Either by asking that the photos be forwarded to the city’s scientific platform Mosquito Surveillance, or by making the garden hostile to mosquitoes yourself. Close rain barrels tightly and make sure there is no water in buckets and pots, as these are ideal breeding grounds.”
Could the severe frost of the last two weeks help slow down the advance of the tiger mosquito? Isra Deblauw is not afraid. “For about two weeks the temperature has dropped to -7, we know from studies that the eggs can survive these freezing temperatures. The eggs of the tiger mosquito are very well protected by a hard layer that makes them resistant to cold and drought.”
Information: www.muggensurveillance.be
2024-01-23 02:00:00
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