The arrival of summer marks the great return of mosquitoes. These little beasts, which are part of our daily life on vacation, can be more aggressive than it seems. A young woman named Manon experienced this. She returns to this incident in an article by Free lunchpublished this Saturday, July 9, 2022. (source 1)
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Originally from Hérault, Manon conducts studies on the selection of melon varieties and is in the Gard as part of an internship. The 20-year-old student was working in a field last Monday when she became the target of several swarms of mosquitoes.
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“I’ve never seen that. They got everywhere, in my mouth, under my sunglasses… It was all the more surprising that some of my colleagues did not seem to be bitten”, explained Manon.
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However, the young woman had taken her precautions by spraying herself with mosquito repellent and wearing long clothes. That won’t be enough.
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A reaction “never seen”
“Back home, I discovered that my legs were swollen and covered with pimples,” said Manon. “I counted more than 200! The problem is that the pain did not decrease. I had a burning sensation. Couldn’t sleep or just touch my legs.”
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If she is not allergic to mosquitoes, a doctor diagnoses her with “a violent reaction following too many bites”. It will take several days, as well as treatment with anti-inflammatory, cortisone and antihistamine, for the pain to finally disappear. But Manon is not out of the woods.
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“The doctor delivered me a work stoppage and clearly advised me against exposing myself to mosquitoes again. He had never seen such a reaction“, reported the student.
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Thus, the young woman will now have to find a new assignment for her internship, if possible far from the mosquitoes.
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A surge of mosquitoes in the South
This Thursday, July 7, the Interdepartmental Agreement on Mosquitoes (EID) published a communiqué announcing an “exceptional episode” in several parts of southern France due to weather conditions. (source 2)
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“Despite our best efforts, emergences of mosquitoes have occurred and nuisances occur, favored by the current heat, which (…) are perceived in a very embarrassing way at the start of the summer season”, details this organization responsible for mosquito control.
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“The nuisances due to (the species of tiger mosquito), by combining with those of nuisance mosquitoes from wetlands, are likely to increase the discomfort felt by the populations. In this case, it is important to prevent these situations by ensuring, everyone at home, to empty stagnant water or by sealing the containers collecting water with a fine mosquito net and/or a lid”, recommends the EID.
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