Tiger mosquito and infestation: hospital center on the Basque coast urges caution

With the arrival of spring, the tiger mosquito appeared. The Hospital Center of the Basque Coast in Bayonne calls for caution and limiting the spread of insects in the Basque Country. The tiger mosquito is responsible for the spread of arboviruses, viruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus.

If these There are no viruses in the Basque Countrythe risk of their transmission is quite real, since the tiger mosquito, the vector of infection, has already taken root in our country.

Risk from travelers

This week, the Basque Coast Hospital Center launched an arbovirus awareness campaign. The hospital staff gave their recommendations for travelers are likely to travel to certain areas of the globe that are infected with arboviruses. But the risk can also come from foreign travelers passing through the Basque Country.

“We have a lot of concerns about major international events like the Olympics. We will have people coming into our region potentially carrying this disease who may not always show symptoms.”, admits Dr. Sophie Farbos, infectious disease specialist at Bayonne Hospital. Travelers infected abroad risk being bitten by healthy mosquitoes, which in turn become infectious mosquitoes.

“We have to be very vigilant”

The information campaign also serves as a reminder a few simple steps To control the presence of tiger mosquitoes around homes: remove stagnant water in gardens and balconies, protect against potential bites by wearing long sleeves, and use mosquito repellent.

“We have to be very vigilant because once dengue fever sets in, it will be very difficult to get rid of it.” — says Dr. Sophie Farbos. “At the moment we have no effective weapons other than mosquito control.”she continues.

In 2023, the tiger mosquito was present in 72 French departmentsincluding the Pyrenees-Atlantiques, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.