2023-08-27 16:55:14
Dengue Fever Outbreak on Lake Garda Prompts Anti-Mosquito Measures
By: Martina Lippl
Date: 08/27/2023, 04:51 a.m
The fear of dengue fever on Lake Garda is growing. After suspected cases, the alert level in Lombardy was increased. The virus spreads through mosquito bites.
Manerba – On Lake Garda, a specialist company is spraying insecticides on affected streets. Residents are called upon to drive away mosquitoes by any means necessary and to protect themselves from bites as much as possible. Dengue fever has arrived in a popular holiday destination in Italy. Anti-mosquito measures have started in the Lake Garda municipalities of Maneraba and Padenghe (Italy). Two dengue cases are now known there. It’s not scaremongering, local Italian media report but prevention.
In order to curb the spread of the dengue virus on Lake Garda, the mayor of the affected municipality of Manerba del Garda ordered special measures. In the area of the presumed virus circulation, behaviors to avoid mosquito bites are to be implemented.
The residents are, according to the regulation, advised to wear long clothing to cover the skin and protect against stings. The application of insect repellent is also recommended. Since the mosquitoes multiply in standing water, water accumulations – for example in the saucers of flower pots – must be removed. This applies to outdoor pots as well as indoors. Mosquito nets on doors and windows are intended to prevent the bloodsuckers from entering houses and apartments. Smoke spirals outdoors or electric heaters indoors are suitable for keeping mosquitoes away.
The areas most affected and affected by the specific disinfestation in Manerba are therefore Via Prezzolaro, Via Panoramica, and Via S. Francesco.
The dengue virus is only transmitted through the bite of a mosquito of the genus Aedes – such as the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). They are diurnal mosquitoes. However, if one of these mosquitoes is infected with dengue, it causes a severe flu-like illness in humans. According to the Italian Ministry of Health, life-threatening complications such as bleeding or shock can sometimes occur.
There is no direct human-to-human transmission. The mosquito must have bitten a previously infected person.
Almost 50 cases have been diagnosed in Italy since January 2023, the Italian newspaper reported The day. The two dengue cases on Lake Garda are therefore not isolated cases. There are also cases of dengue fever in Croatia, France, and Germany. It is all the more important to know the symptoms of a dengue infection.
However, the symptoms after a dengue infection can hardly be distinguished from influenza, according to the Tropical Institute of the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. After a bite from an infected mosquito, symptoms of dengue appear about three to 10 days later. Acute symptoms such as fever, body aches, or severe headaches subside after around three to seven days. According to tropical disease experts, the dengue virus can be detected in the blood with a rapid test.
Dengue or dengue fever symptoms: Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and severe body aches, skin rash that can resemble sunburn, in rare cases, life-threatening complications and bleeding, exhaustion after a dengue infection, and occasional hair loss.
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus – from: Aedes “bad” and albopictus “white markings”) is spreading successfully to all continents of the world – including Germany. The mosquito species with its distinctive white stripes originally comes from Southeast Asia. But globalization and climate change mean that more than 128 countries are now affected.
So far, populations in Europe have been limited to the south because the Asian tiger mosquito is considered “warmth-loving.” But “European tiger mosquitoes” have already adapted somewhat to the changed climatic situation, according to the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (Lgl Bayern): “Eggs laid in autumn overwinter and the larvae hatch only next spring.”
The Asian tiger mosquito, called “the deadliest animal alive” by Bill Gates in 2014, can potentially transmit more than 20 viruses in addition to dengue fever, including West Nile, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.
In addition to individual protective measures against mosquito bites, there is now a vaccine against the dengue virus. A vaccine has been available since 2023. The basic immunization consists of two vaccinations that are given three months apart.]
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