SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, December 29. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ministry of Health, 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 Aedes albopictus species in one of the traps installed in the terminal. from Tenerife South Airport.
This is the first detection of invasive mosquitoes associated with airport traffic in the archipelago and due to the capture area of the specimen, this specific detection seems to be linked to the transit of passenger suitcases from risk areas where the vector is established.
After confirmation through genomic sequencing of the specimen, this morning, the Entomological Surveillance Committee of the Canary Islands has determined, following the protocol, the actions to be carried out by both the General Directorate of Public Health and the University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Health Public of the University of La Laguna, as well as by AENA and the Granadilla de Abona City Council, the municipality in which the airport facility is located.
Last September, the first detection of adult specimens and larvae of Aedes albopictus occurred in the Canary Islands, in the Tenerife municipality of Tacoronte and later in a residential area in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where after the activation of the surveillance system and the work of control and fumigation, they have not found this species for seven weeks.
The Surveillance System determines that the General Directorate of Public Health and the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health will activate inspection work in the area of the discovery and the placement of more traps that will help determine if there are more specimens in area. In addition, the sampling frequency of these traps will be increased.
Likewise, all institutions and companies that carry out their activity at the Tenerife South airport, as well as the residents of the area, will be informed of the actions to be taken and recommendations will be offered to avoid the proliferation of specimens and breeding sites. since citizen collaboration is essential in these cases.
AEDES ALBOPICTUS
The Aedes albopictus is a black mosquito with stripes, smaller than those common in our territory, which appears more in urban environments and has adapted to reproduce in small water points generated by man. It is a vector for the transmission of viral diseases in other geographical areas where these pathologies are endemic, which does not happen in the Canary Islands.
Aedes usually bites during the day and not at night and its bite generates a strong inflammatory reaction that is accompanied by great stinging. It moves nimbly near the ground and does not produce any hum. 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. Mosquitoes that bite humans need to be breeding very close to them. That is why the most effective measure against them is to monitor or eliminate their breeding points.
Citizen collaboration is important to identify possible invasive mosquitoes and eliminate their breeding sites. Citizens can send photos of suspected presence of Aedes or images of strong inflammatory reactions due to bites if they occur, to the email account [email protected], indicating the geographical location in which it has been located and a number of telephone contact.
Health highlights that the Surveillance System is effective in detecting even the larvae and eggs of invasive mosquitoes early, before they have caused bites in the island’s population. In this sense, all the necessary information is being collected to limit, verify and, where appropriate, eradicate the presence of this mosquito on the island.
It is important to note that no bites have been reported and that the presence of the mosquito does not imply the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever or chikungunya, since these are not present in our territory, except in sporadic cases. imported.
