PMore than 800 reports of potential tiger mosquitoes have been recorded on the citizen monitoring platform since the beginning of the year Monitoring mosquitoesThe total surpassed last year’s report by more than 100. Thirteen cases could be verified, according to the report by the public health institute Sciensano. This is a reminder of the importance of citizen participation in this surveillance.
Tiger mosquitoes have been observed in nine different locations since May 21. They were first seen in Boom, Humbeek, Ghent and Schele in Flanders, in Verviers in Wallonia and in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in the Brussels region (for the first time in the capital). Others were noted in already known locations, Wilrijk, Kessel-Lo and Wolfsdonk in Flanders.
In four of the six new locations, the insects were observed during the first three months of the season, while the peak of reports usually occurs in August and September.
The monitoring also showed that the tiger mosquito settled in five locations (in Ath, Puurs-Saint-Amand, Kessel-Lo, Wilrijk and Lebeke) during the winter, compared to two last year. “The unusually warm winter promoted the survival of overwintering eggs,” confirms Israa Deblauwe, entomologist at the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT).
Sciensano and IMT recall the importance of reports made by citizens through the site www.surveillancemoustiques.be and on the application of the same name on Android and iOS. “Each report allows us to quickly assess the situation and take measures if necessary,” the Public Health Institute specifies.
The tiger mosquito breeds in stagnant water such as flower pots. It can spread viruses such as dengue, chikungunya or Zika. No cases of illness following a tiger mosquito bite have been reported in Belgium.
True or false: will the tiger mosquito invade Belgium this summer?