AA / Alger / Aksil Ouali
The tiger mosquito, first reported in Algeria in 2010, has settled in most of the north, according to the Pasteur Institute of Algeria (IPA).
60% of the northern regions, said the same source in a press release made public this Sunday, are infested with this species dangerous to humans.
“This species was reported for the first time in 2010 in Tizi-Ouzou (100 km east of Algiers) but its effective installation was only observed in 2015 in the city of Oran (Aïn Turk) , West. The tiger mosquito has currently invaded most of northern Algeria”, specified the IPA, affirming “that in ten years, this mosquito has settled permanently in Algeria and is present in 60% of the northern regions. from the country “.
Originally from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, explained the same source, the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) has adapted to various environments and in particular to the urban environment by taking advantage of a multitude of containers (vases, pots, cans, gutters, etc.), in which it lays its eggs in small quantities of water. “The tiger mosquito likes to feed on humans,” said the Institute.
According to health specialists, the dangerousness of this species lies in the fact that it is a vector for the transmission of three viruses: zika, dengue fever and chikungunya. According to Algerian doctors, dengue fever has already been detected in Sétif (400 km east of Algiers), on people returning to the country from a trip from an endemic zone.
Tiger mosquito bites, doctors said, cause burns and blisters which, if infected, paralyze the upper and lower limbs. This spread of the tiger mosquito has raised Algeria’s ranking from level zero with a few scattered cases, to level 1, with a presence in several regions, on a scale of five, before arriving at the pandemic.
This species, according to the Algerian Ministry of Health, arrived in the country on textiles, used tires or imported flowerpots, especially since it does not fly more than 200 meters. Originally from South Asia, he arrived in Italy for the first time, after the first import operations of used tires by Italy from China, within the framework of an agreement signed between the two countries. As in used tires there are always water residues, the mosquito has settled there and traveled.
Its larvae, underline the specialists, can stay up to nine months well buried before hatching. It then spread to many European countries, particularly in the south. Spain, Greece and especially France are particularly infected.