Nothing seems to be spared for the Argentinians at the moment. While the country is fighting the severe economic crisis, its residents are fighting another battle: against the mosquito. But the resources are lacking to tackle the swarm of insects.
Even in the subway, the porteños – the residents of Buenos Aires – beat wildly to scare away the buzzing mosquitoes. Many Argentine arms and legs are marked by the small and sharp insect that has been appearing en masse across the country these weeks. A major additional problem is the acute shortage of anti-mosquito products. Many shelves have remained empty in recent days and in the small supermarkets that still have it, the price immediately skyrocketed.
‘Unprecedented escalation’
Supermarkets, pharmacies and manufacturers warn that the problem is unlikely to be resolved in the short term. This concerns sprays, tablets and creams to keep mosquitoes away. According to them, there has not been a normal amount of delivery this year, partly due to problems with the import permits for certain products and components. This makes it difficult for suppliers to obtain, for example, Deet that is imported from Japan. Moreover, these enormous quantities of mosquitoes were not provided for and prices have risen enormously, they told the Argentinian newspaper La Nación.
There is currently a diligent search for B-brands, but that also seems difficult. The last remnants of the previous – dry – season are as good as gone. “It is an unprecedented escalation in demand,” said multinational SC Johnson, which only expects the supply of products to be normalized in a few weeks. Summer in Argentina has just started and the average temperature in the capital is now around 27 degrees. The mosquito in question is the Aedes albifasciatus, also known as the ‘flood mosquito’. It recently rained a lot in the South American country after a long period of drought. The rainfall and flooding caused an explosion in the number of mosquitoes.
Warnings against dengue are being issued throughout Buenos Aires, including here in the metro. © Guillermo Raul Garcia
Alarming: record year for dengue
While this ‘normal’ mosquito mainly causes itching, but can also carry diseases, the Aedes Aegypti mosquito is a cause for great concern. This insect is responsible for the transmission of the disease dengue. The symptoms of dengue include fever that is often accompanied by intense fatigue, severe nausea, spots on the skin, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The outcome could be fatal.
The health authorities in the Buenos Aires region have therefore taken intensive measures to prevent the spread. There are posters throughout the city to educate residents about the risks and dangers of dengue. The mosquito mainly lives in stagnant water. A record 135,676 cases of dengue were diagnosed in 2023, according to Argentina’s Ministry of Health. 68 people died.
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2024-01-05 19:49:11
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