LEIDEN (ANP) – The Leiden Naturalis Biodiversity Center will conduct research into mosquitoes on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao for the first time since 1948. The islands have seen outbreaks of several serious diseases caused by mosquitoes in the past ten years. The research must show where mosquito colonies are and which mosquitoes are involved, so that outbreaks can be effectively prevented or combated, according to Naturalis.
Mosquitoes can transmit diseases such as dengue fever, Zika fever, malaria and West Nile fever. There have been several outbreaks of these diseases in the Caribbean. It is important to update the knowledge about mosquitoes in the overseas territories, the researchers say. Due to climate change and a growing population, there have been changes and they will happen again in the future. Controlling a specific mosquito population is often the only way to slow the spread of pathogens.
In 2018, a research group already detected mosquitoes on Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. At the time, this resulted in eleven different species of mosquitoes, two of which were new and disease-spreading species for the Caribbean. The research also provided a new way to identify mosquitoes on the islands more quickly.
The new investigation starts on Sunday in Aruba. The researchers will stay on each island for seven to 10 days. They catch mosquitoes in traps and count larvae in water. The mosquito research is funded by the Ministry of Health.
ANP