The Health Ministry has once again implemented the protocol outlined in the Entomological Surveillance System of the Canary Islands after finding an adult specimen of the ‘Aedes aegypti’ species in Santa Cruz de Tenerife port.
A statement from the Health Ministry on Tuesday revealed that adult mosquitoes were detected in one of the traps in the area during sample analysis on February 21. This comes after an earlier detection of this species in January 2023.
No other positive findings were reported in the remaining traps in the vicinity.
Surveillance efforts have been stepped up in the area with increased sampling and inspections of potential breeding sites within the vector’s possible dispersion range.
Following multiple detections of the mosquito in the port area in recent months, entomological surveillance has been reinforced with more traps and higher sampling frequency.
The Canary Health Service has urged collaboration from the Health Ministry to ensure that countries of origin adhere to control measures for vessels arriving from regions where the ‘Aedes aegypti’ is endemic, such as Madeira and Cape Verde, in order to prevent the frequent arrival of these vectors.
Improved communication between the Macaronesian archipelagos has led to repeated findings of the vector in port areas and on ships arriving from high-risk regions where the mosquito is prevalent.
Since January 2023, periodic sightings of this species have been recorded in the port of Tenerife in February, March, and May, along with a specimen of ‘Aedes albopictus’ in November 2023, also linked to maritime traffic.
Additionally, the presence of ‘Aedes aegypti’ was reported in the Port of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, in December 2023 and January 2024. However, no breeding incidents or reports of bites have been documented among port workers in these instances.
