This is a female Aedes albopictus mosquito that sucks blood from its human host. Credit: CDC
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This is a female Aedes albopictus mosquito that sucks blood from its human host. Credit: CDC
France is scrambling to prevent tiger mosquitoes, which carry a virus that is a growing threat in Europe, from ruining the Paris Olympics for athletes and fans, with millions of visitors expected to attend the summer Olympics. We are working.
The Asian tiger mosquito has established itself in many parts of northern Europe, including France, over the past two decades, spreading diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.
Climate change is said to be behind the easy adaptation to colder regions, and authorities have recently announced that other areas in France, including the Normandy region in the northwest, the last remaining mosquito-free region in the whole of France, The area was declared as infested with mosquitoes.
Authorities have tried to get rid of the insects using techniques routinely used in tropical cities, including fumigating parts of Paris, to no avail.
But with just four months until the start of the Paris Games, experts have warned that tiger mosquito bites could cost athletes their chance of making it to the start line.
“If you have dengue fever, you can't jump any hurdles,” says Didier Fontenille, an entomologist and vector-borne disease expert.
“The host city, especially the Olympic Village, needs to keep mosquitoes out,” he said.
“Total mobilization of the people”
Health authorities have promised “intensified surveillance” of the mosquito threat, which is notoriously difficult to eliminate.
France reported 45 cases of dengue fever last year, caused by community transmission of the virus.
Spotted mosquitoes are happiest in cities where there is an abundance of stagnant water, creating ideal conditions for spawning.
Fontenille said that if there was “public mobilization” to clean up even the smallest amount of water left in flower pots and saucers, “80 percent of the problem would be solved” by addressing stagnant water.
In other cases, repellents used against mosquito larvae, bed nets and organic insecticides may be effective, he said.
Mosquito traps also hold promise, as they can mimic human body odor to attract and kill mosquitoes.
A variation is to trick the insects into laying eggs in the trap, where they are destroyed.
Specialist company Biogents has announced that it has won a public tender to install 15 traps to protect the Marseille Marina, a sailing competition venue.
Co-owner Hugo Plan said the company plans to set up the facility next month over a hectare in a “green, shady and humid location”.
Staff will regularly check the 80 centimeter (31.5 inch) high metal box during the tournament.
The fight against the tiger mosquito is thriving, with another French specialist company, Qista, announcing it has installed 13,000 insect control sites in 26 countries over the past 10 years.
Meanwhile, researchers are working on DNA modification and sterilization to reduce mosquito numbers.
