The Ministry of Health warned this week in a statement about a dengue outbreak in the Northeast region and the first autochthonous cases in the provinces of the Central and Northwest regions as a result of “the abundance of rain and high temperatures associated with the El Niño phenomenon”, which “generate favorable environmental conditions for the proliferation of mosquitoes“.
However, even though the national body requested “take extreme prevention and care measures” in the context of “an ascending epidemiological curve during the last 4 weeks” with the use of domestic repellents and repellentsconsumers complain on social networks because they not only perceive a sharp increase in the values of these productsbut also its absence on the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets.
“I went to buy a discount to take to work and it came out to $4600“, noted a user this Friday on the social network X. Another Internet user wrote: “Someone is recording how much mosquito repellents go up due to the record of dengue cases? Let’s see if the market saves you from an infectious disease“.
According to the Mercado Track registry, an independent online service to track and reveal price variations of MercadoLibre publications and products, from October to December, the value of the classic repellent brand Off! Family of 131 grams went from $1,500 to $4,150.
In addition, the green mosquito repellent spray from Off! of 170 g is no less than $4,000 in one of the most famous pharmacy and perfumery chains in Buenos Aires. The orange one from the same company is not for sale on the online websitealthough they are available in spray, gel or cream format, which cost between $2,000 and $6,000, depending on the duration of the repellent.
When using the repellent, it is necessary to remember that it should be applied all over the body, while for the face it is essential to first apply it to the hand and then spread it over the face to prevent any poisoning. It will depend on the product how often it should be applied since some have 10% DEET and that will allow a period of 2 or 3 hourswhile the one with 25% will last almost 6 hours.
Likewise, after the warning about the dengue outbreak, the health ministry pointed out that “products marketed with herbal preparations such as ‘clove’ y bracelets or bangles that are usually offered for use in infants, as well as having citronella plants in the houses they do not protect from mosquito bites“.
He also highlighted that “The best way to combat dengue is by eliminating mosquito breeding sites, which are found in containers with stagnant water”.
“The eggs of Temples of the Egyptians They can resist drought conditions and remain viable for more than a year, which is why control and elimination of breeding sites must be carried out all year round. These measures should focus on the elimination of those potential breeding sites that can be eliminated or the treatment (physical or chemical) of those that cannot be eliminated,” they pointed out.
Mosquito invasion in AMBA: its relationship with equine encephalitis
The increase in mosquitoes in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) that was recorded in recent days is a “large peak” of the species A white-fronted buildingwhich is known as the “flood mosquito” y transmits the Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) virus which currently presents an outbreak in horses in the center and north of our country, as a group of specialists warned Télam.
“We are experiencing a large peak in abundance of a species we call flood mosquitoes. the type of strategy and life cycle you have“said the director of the Mosquito Study Group of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Sylvia Fischer.
The species is called Aedes albifasciatus, it is characterized by being wild and It is distributed throughout practically all of Argentina.even reaches Tierra del Fuego.
“The main characteristic it has is that the females lay their eggs in places that can be flooded when it rains, where temporary puddles of different sizes form. And in times of heavy rain like we are having now, all the eggs that are accumulated in these places that flood when it rains, they hatch almost simultaneously“said the main researcher at Conicet and professor at the UBA.
In this sense, Fischer stated that “there are quantities and quantities of mosquitoes emerging in a large part of the Province of Buenos Aires” and warned that the entire AMBA area is “re complicated“, according to meteorological data and monitoring by the research group.
“Generally I would say that the Aedes albifasciatus bite is harmless, but At this moment we are having an outbreak of WEE in horses in the central and northern areas of our country.“explained Fischer, concerned about the link of that species of mosquito with the transmission of the WEE virus.
The EEO is a neurological disease produced by a homonymous Alphavirus (VEEO) that is transmitted through mosquito bites, and Although it mainly affects horses, it can also be contracted., symptomatically or, by human beings.
In people, the disease has a incubation period of two to ten daysthe majority of cases are asymptomatic or present as mild symptoms with fever, fatigue, muscle aches and general discomfort that resolve spontaneously in seven to ten days.
So far, the Ministry of Health of the Nation reported this month a single human case of EEO detected in the country after 27 yearsin a man residing in the Santa Fe city of Reconquista.
On the other hand, Fischer warned that, due to the scale of the current mosquito peak, there are no feasible strategies to control the reproduction of this species. The recommendations that are known to prevent the dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti, such as eliminating unused containers that can accumulate water, do not apply to this “flood mosquito” because the type of places in which it breeds is totally different.
Given the outbreak of WEE in horses, the specialist recommended to the population use repellent, wear clothes with long sleeves and long pants to cover most of the body and be more careful when it comes to being in green spaces.
