‘European cooperation essential against the rise of tropical diseases’

Tropical diseases such as the West Nile virus are increasingly common in Europe. Last summer, there were for the first time infections with this virus in the Netherlands. The European Commission is concerned and is therefore paying explicit attention to the advance of tropical diseases in a new climate plan.

One of the recommendations is that more knowledge should be shared, not only between Member States, but also between researchers and governments. “We need to know how to react if there is another pandemic. We will have to increase our resilience. These are all things that do not stop at the borders and we as Europeans will have to do that together,” said Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Union. European Commission.

Important call

Biologist Arnold van Vliet finds the call from the European Commission important. “We are in the midst of climate change and we need to move full speed ahead to adapt to it.” Sharing knowledge is essential here, according to Van Vliet.

Wageningen University is conducting research into mosquitoes and their role in the spread of tropical diseases. Thousands of people sent mosquitoes to death so that researchers can see which mosquitoes spread disease.

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