The Department of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Public Health, has once again activated the protocol provided for in the Entomological Surveillance System of the islands after detecting an adult specimen of the species. Aedes albopictus in a home in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This is the second case of detection of mosquitoes of the species Aedes albopictus in the Canary Islands, after the Tacoronte episode at the beginning of this month of September.
Health detects three adult specimens and one tiger mosquito larva in the Canary Islands
Further
The Entomological Surveillance System protocol was activated this Monday, September 25, after receiving vectors.scs@gobiernodecanarias.org a notice for a strong inflammatory reaction caused by a mosquito bite, which also included an image of a specimen captured in a home in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The research staff of the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, of the University of La Laguna, collected a captured mosquito specimen this Monday and inspected the house, where oovittraps and a BG-sentinel adult trap were placed. No more adult specimens or larvae were detected in this inspection of the affected home.
The mosquito collected is a female adult, morphologically identified as belonging to the species Aedes albopictusafter analysis at the Medical Entomology Laboratory of the University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands.
Health reports that health centers and pharmacies within a 500 meter perimeter around the home have been informed, so that they are especially vigilant against the appearance of abnormal bites and feverish processes in people who have recently traveled to geographical areas in which diseases circulate that are susceptible to transmission through mosquitoes that act as vectors, such as dengue or Chikungunya. In the Canary Islands, these diseases do not circulate, and imported cases are sporadically detected.
With the collaboration of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, scuppers, hydrants, parks, gardens and ravines have been reviewed and treated in the area around the house where the specimen was collected, and continuous surveillance continues. in the zone.
Public Health Inspectors from the Health Area of Tenerife and technicians from the Medical Entomology Laboratory of the Institute of Tropical Diseases of the ULL have proceeded this morning, with the support of the Local Police, to inspect the homes and companies located in the perimeter 100 meters around the notifier’s house.
Citizen collaboration, remembers Health, is especially important at this time to avoid the proliferation of breeding points and to identify possible specimens.
Citizens can send photos of suspected presence of the Aedes or images of strong inflammatory reactions due to bites if they occur, to the email account vectors.scs@gobiernodecanarias.orgindicating the exact geographical location in which it has been located and a contact telephone number.
How to identify this mosquito
The mosquitos Aedes They are smaller than common mosquitoes, darker in color, with silver bands on the body and white-striped legs. They usually bite early in the morning or at dusk and do not emit the typical buzz of the common mosquito.
The females are the ones that bite, since they need to feed on blood to reproduce. They also need water (breeding points) to complete their development. They lay their eggs in the water, from which the larvae emerge and then transform into pupae (both aquatic) and finally become mosquitoes. Any point of water accumulation or puddles can serve as a breeding ground, so it is vital to eliminate them.
Mosquitoes that bite humans need to be breeding very close to them. The first measure is aimed at controlling and eliminating any accumulation of water since it can become, even if it is very small like a bottle cap, a breeding point.
The Canary Islands have had an Entomological Surveillance System since 2013, coordinated by the General Directorate of Public Health in collaboration with the University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands of the University of La Laguna, with the aim of early detecting the possible appearance of invasive mosquitoes.
The island of Tenerife has been monitored for the detection of this type of mosquitoes since 2013 through the installation of 196 specific traps (total in the Canary Islands: 635 traps), 21 of them were installed in the greenhouse where these specimens were detected.
Preventive measures
These are the measures recommended by Health to prevent the proliferation of these mosquitoes:
• Place sand in the saucers of the pots, this way they can be watered, avoiding dishes with water in which the female can deposit her eggs. Otherwise, the dishes must be emptied and cleaned once a week to prevent the eggs laid by the females from evolving into adults.
• Avoid growing plants directly in water (pothos, bamboo, money plant, etc.) by transferring them to soil. Change the water in vases daily.
• In outdoor areas (gardens, patios, rooftops, terraces, balconies, etc.), place empty pots, bottles, buckets, watering cans and any other container in which irrigation or rainwater may accumulate upside down.
• Avoid flooding in gardens, roofs, balconies or terraces after irrigation or rain. Keep these areas clean and remove pruning remains where water may accumulate.
• Daily, clean and change water in animal drinkers.
• Water tanks should be kept well covered to prevent the entry of mosquitoes, as should any receptacle used to collect rainwater.
• Pools must be kept well chlorinated and recirculated daily. If they are empty with little water, they constitute a significant risk for the proliferation of mosquitoes.
• Clean the tray on the outside of the refrigerator and air conditioning devices where water can accumulate, including portable equipment receptacles.
• Keep the drains in external areas clean and check that water does not remain stagnant in parts of it.
