The inevitable summertime return of tiger mosquitoes to the region has prompted authorities in Monaco to step up controls of this prolific, disease-carrying insect.
The Aedes albopictus mosquito, commonly known as the tiger mosquito, arrived in the Principality some time around 2004 and the species has been part of the summer landscape ever since.
The biting insects are known to carry and transmit a number of dangerous diseases and viruses. Among them is Dengue fever, which is on the rise in France’s neighbouring Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
Given the increase in nearby cases, Monaco’s Department of Social Affairs and Health has decided to set up a mosquito surveillance system to determine if the local population of tiger mosquitoes are carrying the disease, as well as a number of other worrying health threats.
Mosquito sampling apparatuses have been placed at locations all over the Principality, primarily in public spaces. The mosquitoes caught in these traps are to be collected and analyzed weekly to check for Dengue, Chikungunya virus and Zika virus.
If the results confirm the government’s concerns that these illnesses could pose a threat to Monaco’s population, the authorities say they will launch a “targeted intervention”.
The announcement of the new surveillance system on 3rd July was also accompanied by a few words of advice on how people can limit their chances of getting bitten, such as the use of repellents, mosquito nets and home insecticides.
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Photo via Monaco Government