The Saxon Ministry of Health informs about the first discovery of the Asian tiger mosquito in the Dresden city area. In recent weeks, several tiger mosquitoes have been detected in the Dresden district of Neustadt. No other areas are currently known in Saxony.
Tiger mosquito caught in Dresden – Photo: Quirin Flohrs
Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus)
The Asian tiger mosquito comes from Southeast Asia. Thanks to global trade and travel, it has been able to spread worldwide in recent decades. In Europe, their settlement is favored by climate change and the associated milder winters. Egg laying and development takes place in standing water. The smallest accumulations of water are sufficient for this.
Help from the population
In order to follow the further course of the spread of the tiger mosquito more closely and to find additional locations, everyone is asked to catch mosquitoes and send them to the “Mosquito Atlas” to send.
Property owners are encouraged to take mitigation measures. Since the mosquitoes prefer to breed in stagnant water, possible breeding sites should be removed at least weekly. This includes regularly emptying watering cans, flower pot saucers and other containers, using biological larvicides (Bti) in standing water and cleaning gutters and rain barrels. Water from possible breeding sites should not be poured down the drain. The mosquito development cycle can continue in the sewer system.
Potential health risks
This invasive mosquito species can transmit dangerous pathogens such as the dengue virus, Zika virus and chikungunya virus, as well as the West Nile virus, which already occurs in Saxony. So far, there are no known cases of disease transmission from tiger mosquitoes in Germany. If infected travelers returning from countries where these pathogens occur are bitten by tiger mosquitoes, transmission to other people is also possible in Germany. However, the risk is currently assessed as low.
