NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 05:32
The tiger mosquito is on the rise in the Netherlands. In 2020, the Asian mosquito was still found in two residential areas, in 2021 in four neighbourhoods. Last year there were already eight and this year the mosquito has already been spotted in twelve residential areas in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is concerned and, as in previous years, is committed to large-scale combat.
The tiger mosquito is a lot smaller than the native mosquito and can be recognized by a white stripe on the back and white hind legs. The animal originates from Southeast Asia, but has now also established itself in southern European countries such as Spain and France. From there it travels with holidaymakers and freight traffic to the Netherlands.
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In countries where the mosquito is common, it can transmit infectious diseases such as dengue fever to humans. According to the RIVM, the chance that tiger mosquitoes that have now been found in the Netherlands carry these diseases is negligible.
To do this, they first have to encounter an infected person with, for example, dengue fever, explains Arjan Stroo of the NVWA. If a mosquito bites the infected person and then bites someone else, a virus has a chance to spread. A large number of mosquitoes can thus lead to an outbreak of a disease. “That’s why we don’t want the mosquito here and we’re trying to eradicate it.”
Combat breeding grounds
The insect has been appearing incidentally in the Netherlands since 2005. The NVWA takes control measures for every find.
Likewise now. In the neighborhoods where the animal has been spotted, residents receive a letter asking them to search for breeding grounds for mosquitoes and to remove them.
The NVWA itself also goes door to door to combat breeding grounds:
The female of the tiger mosquito prefers to lay her eggs in a sheltered spot with stagnant rainwater, such as in buckets, flower pots or rain barrels. The NVWA removes or treats those breeding spots so that the eggs do not survive.
Check caravan
Completely eradicating the tiger mosquito in the Netherlands will not succeed, says the NVWA. The control will only ensure that it takes a while before the mosquito settles permanently in the Netherlands.
The NVWA calls on holidaymakers to thoroughly check their car and caravan for mosquitoes before they drive home. Campers can especially check whether they have flower pots, trays or watering cans in which rainwater has been standing. It may contain tiger mosquito eggs that hatch later, says Stroo of the NVWA.
The control measures will last until the end of the mosquito season in October.
2023-08-04 03:32:34
#Tiger #mosquito #popping #neighborhoods
