Mild winter an invitation for the Asian tiger mosquito

Belgium needs to experience more severe winter weather than it has so far to escape the danger of the Asian tiger mosquito, the Institute for Tropical Medicine (ITG) in Antwerp announced yesterday.

The insects (Aedes albopictus) surfaced in Flanders last July at a tyre importer in the port of Antwerp. A population of them survived until October, and a larva was found in November in a shipment of bamboo plants, the ITG said.

The mosquito (pictured) is responsible for spreading Dengue fever, which causes a skin rash and in rare cases can be fatal, as well as the virus known as chikungunya, which has similar symptoms.

Normally, a mosquito of this sort would not be expected to survive the local winters, but, so far, this winter has been exceptionally mild. “We’d rather not have this mosquito in Belgium given the various viruses it can spread,” said ITG researcher Isra Deblauwe. “Although the diseases usually come into the country via infected travellers.”

In the Netherlands, cases of infestation by the Asian tiger mosquito are treated with biocides, but those are illegal in Belgium. “An exception to the biocide law is required, and that takes time,” Deblauwe said.

photo courtesy of ITG