in Marseille: bait to catch tiger mosquitoes at the Olympic site

Although a record number of imported cases of dengue fever have been reported since the beginning of the year, the city of Marseille has decided to install tiger mosquito traps on the Olympic pier grounds.

Three months before the Olympics: how to stop the tiger mosquito from ruining your party ? The insect, which is now spreading throughout France, is a carrier of diseases such as dengue fever. There were 45 local cases of the disease, transmitted by the tiger mosquito, reported in France last year, according to Santé Publique France.

Almost 1 There have also been 700 imported cases into mainland France since January 1, according to the Directorate General of Health. So, in order to protect athletes and spectators during the Olympic Games, the city of Marseille installed traps on the site of the Olympic pier where the sailing competitions will be held.

These traps are placed in large perforated metal boxes. There are 15 traps in total, scattered over an area of ​​one hectare. “The traps are placed in boxes to avoid the risk of vandalism or accident. They are solar powered and we have a trap inside connected to a CO2 tank. These are traps that reproduce human body odors, attracting mosquitoes and catching them. This”details Antoine Cohen, technical manager of Biogents, the company that won the tender from the city hall of Marseille to protect the Olympic pier.

“Naturally, our body produces many odors: lactic acid, caproic acid… The mosquito will track some of these acids to find lactic acid, like the odorous trail that we leave behind.”– the expert clarifies. So there are no insecticides in these traps, just scents.

Limit the spread of tiger mosquitoes

By trapping tiger mosquitoes, the mayor’s office hopes to limit the risk of disease transmission while the Olympics attract visitors from around the world. A tiger mosquito can bite an already sick visitor and then infect several others, causing chikungunya, zika or even dengue fever.

“Dengue is particularly alarming this year, with significant epidemics occurring in South America and the West Indies.”, explains Gregory L’Ambert, medical entomologist, from the EID, an interministerial agreement for the control of mosquitoes along the Mediterranean coast. Traps are a solution to the tiger mosquito problem, but they are not enough, he said.

“Even if we have a network of well-installed traps, we cannot guarantee that there will be no risk of local transmission. Mosquitoes are capable of reproducing by 200 every 15 days. If we want to protect ourselves from them, the first thing we need to do is. to do is to limit their spread.”

Gregory L’Ambert, medical entomologist

in FranceInformation

To do this, everyone must mobilize to avoid stagnant water in gardens, on balconies or on the street. A few millimeters are enough for tiger mosquitoes to develop there, and the larvae are already present at this time.