"That's not the question, or when the tiger mosquito sits in the Netherlands" – Amsterdam No.1 magazine



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On the occasion

In June alone, he appeared in five places, including Weert, Hardenberg and Amstelveen: the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an Asian mosquito species. It rises like eggs or larvae from hot countries in "lucky bamboo" and in puddles of water in car tire stocks. The tiger mosquito can transmit nasty diseases, such as dengue (dengue) and zika. Until now, the Dutch Food and Consumer Safety Authority (NVWA) has managed to fight against local epidemics. The mosquito has not yet established here. "But due to climate change, the Netherlands is becoming more and more a habitat for the tiger mosquito," said mosquito specialist Arnold van Vliet on June 25 at the Hittestress conference in Den Bosch. Van Vliet is the initiator of, among others, mosquito radar.nl and De Natuurkalender in Wageningen UR. Van Vliet about the tiger mosquito: "That's not the question, or when it's going to settle in the Netherlands."

What is it based on?

"On data from the ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control," Van Vliet says by phone. "This keeps an eye on the tiger mosquito's advance.You can find everything online."

And, is that correct?

The ECDC website provides details, with hundreds of references to the literature. The tickets show the fast advance of the tiger mosquito in Europe. In 2000, the tiger mosquito only appeared in the waters of the Mediterranean. He now lives up to the Atlantic coast of France, in the Vosges and in the north of France. There is also a map of suitable areas for the tiger mosquito in the future. The Netherlands is colored in orange on a scale from white ("unsuitable") to pale yellow ("moderately adapted") to red ("very appropriate").

The legend no longer quantifies this ability, nor does it say what time it will take. The underlying scientific article, in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface (2012), does. The Netherlands has already been awarded "orange" in 2012, with an aptitude of 70 to 80 on a scale of 0 to 100. The aptitude, according to us, depends on the amount of precipitation on an annual basis and of the average winter temperature. According to the KNMI, both will increase in the coming decades – favorable to the tiger mosquito.

We call the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). "The tiger mosquito can survive here," says spokesman Harald Wychgel who refers to the mosquito page on the RIVM website. When the mosquito settles here, the RIVM likes to leave it in the middle. The NVWA is more accurate: "With a few decades we can expect that the tiger mosquito will install here, yes."

Probably this will be due to both the establishment after the local introduction and the advancement of the south. There is often a little nonchalance, according to Van Vliet. "So they say: these tropical diseases are not there yet, but that too is a matter of time."

In addition, we must consider elsewhere: "These mosquitoes bite much more common than Dutch mosquitoes. during the day it's really annoying when you're sitting on a terrace.In Rome, there are already parks where it's hard to get more without getting stuck. "

Their arrival is inevitable, Van Vliet fears, but we can try to delay this coming as long as possible. NVWA should monitor at-risk companies more intensively. And vacationers should check their caravan for mosquitoes before returning from southern Europe. And when mosquitoes are there? "Then we should not leave garbage cans or pots with stagnant water around our homes, and use screens, new houses should be equipped with them as standard."

Conclusion [19659002TheNetherlandsisalreadyadaptedtothetigermosquitoespeciallysinceclimatechangeisimportantIt'samatteroftimebeforethemosquitodefinitelysettlesheretheECDCtheRIVMandtheNVWAalsosayWejudgethepropositionas where .

Nienke Beintema

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