2023-04-27 04:46:00
This is not an eagerly awaited return. From next week, the tiger mosquito will be under enhanced surveillance in France. From May 1 to November 30 – its main period of activity – the health authorities will scrutinize the presence of Aedes albopictus (its scientific name), multiply awareness messages and trigger possible mosquito control operations.
Because last summer, the tiger mosquito, recognizable thanks to its black and white stripes, left a bad memory. As of January 1, 2023, it had colonized 71 departments, a number that has been constantly increasing since its installation in France in 2004.
“Its expansion is inevitable”
And the insect, which bites more in the morning and evening, has been the cause of 65 “indigenous cases” of dengue, that is to say concerning patients who have not traveled to areas where the virus circulates widely like the West Indies, but were bitten by a mosquito that infected itself through contact with an infected traveler. These cases were concentrated in the south of France.
“65 cases may not seem like a lot, but it shows a dynamic, it’s a signal for the future,” warns Marie-Claire Paty, vector-borne disease surveillance coordinator at Public Health France. In fact, since 2010, the number of metropolitan departments colonized by the tiger mosquito has multiplied by ten. “We are convinced that this is a risk that will intensify,” insists the specialist. In Île-de-France, the tiger mosquito is now definitely established in around a hundred municipalities.
This is also the message conveyed by the Health Risk Watch and Anticipation Committee (Covars), the former scientific council, in a recent review. We must expect, in the years to come, an increase in cases of dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya, diseases transmitted by “vector” mosquitoes now widely established on the national territory, he warned. Viral diseases that “might become public health problems”. If, in mainland France, a serious form has not been observed to date, complications are always possible, which can lead to resuscitation or even death, recalls Marie-Claire Paty.
“Its extension is inevitable”, declares the entomologist Didier Fontenille. “It’s an urban insect, which travels in cars and lays its eggs in collections of water” left by people – breeding sites – such as pots, saucers, water collectors. “He likes human blood, which in town, there is no shortage of,” he continues.
The right gestures to “live with”
To make matters worse, global warming has indirect effects on its growth: the hotter it is, the shorter the mosquito’s development cycle. The multiplication rate of the virus inside the insect is also increased under the effect of temperature. “So the hotter it is, the faster it can transmit an infection,” explains Anna-Bella Failloux, specialist in mosquito-related diseases at the Institut Pasteur.
However, its expansion remains essentially favored by travel and human behavior. The health authorities thus fear the forthcoming organization of major international sporting events in mainland France – in particular the 2024 Olympic Games -, which will give rise to significant movements of populations from all over the world.
“If in the overseas territories the tiger mosquito transmits a lot of viruses, it remains for the moment in mainland France an essentially harmful insect. But that might change in the years to come,” advises Didier Fontenille. To limit the risks, “the first thing to do is to make life difficult for him”, advises this research director at the Institute of Research for Development (IRD) in Montpellier.
“Overseas, mosquitoes are already part of everyday life. In France, we will now have to learn to live with it,” summarizes Anna-Bella Failloux. Eliminate all places where water can stagnate, empty containers, cover reservoirs and swimming pools when they are not in use… Here are just a few actions to adopt, both by individuals and territorial agents. Some repellents can also be useful, but not all are optimally effective once morest the tiger mosquito.
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