Currently present in 64 departments in France (out of the 96 metropolitan departments), the tiger mosquito is the potential vector of diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya or zika, hence the importance of identifying and protecting against it. .
- 64 departments are now on red alert for the tiger mosquito
- The period of activity of the tiger mosquito is from May to November
With the return of hot weather, it is very likely that you will cross its path: indeed, the tiger mosquito, recognizable by its black and white stripes, is almost everywhere! VSThis potentially dangerous species is now established and active on 67% of French territory, warns the site Mosquito vigilance.
red vigilance
According to their updated map of the tiger mosquito department by department, the progression of the tiger mosquito is still spectacular with 6 new departments placed on red alert, i.e. 64 in total: Mayenne, Cantal, Haute-Vienne, Jura, Drôme and Doubs thus join the 58 departments in which the tiger mosquito was already established and active in 2020.
6 departments are now on orange alert, ie the tiger mosquito has been intercepted there occasionally in the last 5 years: Allier, Loir et Cher, Haute Loire, Oise, Yonne, Val d’Oise. 26 departments are still on yellow alert: they are the subject of an entomological watch specially dedicated to monitoring the tiger mosquito, without any specimen having been officially intercepted there. Thus, 70 departments are colonized or in the process of being colonized because the departments which are in orange vigilance sooner or later switch to red vigilance.
Reflexes to know
The tiger mosquito is essentially urban. Its anthropophilic character (which likes places inhabited by man) explains that once installed in a town or department, it is practically impossible to get rid of it.
But there is reflexes to know to limit its spread. The first remedy consists in regularly eliminating all stagnant water since the tiger mosquito lays exclusively near stagnant water, natural or artificial receptacles. Upon contact with water, its eggs hatch and immediately give birth to larvae, which in turn turn into mosquitoes after 5 to 6 days.
In mosquitoes, only the female bites. The bite occurs after mating, once the female has been fertilized. Before to lay, the mosquito female indeed needs to prick to collect the blood which will provide him with the necessary proteins to lay an average of 200 eggs. She can potentially give birth to 3000 mosquitoes!
It is also recommended to install one or two traps near the living areas, to burn an anti-mosquito coil every evening and to use an electric racket. We can contribute to the fight against the tiger mosquito signaling his presence.
A misleading name
The tiger mosquito is treacherous: unlike the common mosquito (Culex) which tends to bite at night and whose flight is noisy, the tiger mosquito is diurnal, that is to say it bites during the day (mainly in the morning and evening) and it is silent. It is smaller than a 1 euro cent coin (less than 0.5 centimeters) and its name is misleading since the tiger mosquito is not yellow and black but white and black. It is also characterized by the presence of a white dorsal line along its thorax and its legs are striped.
Vector of many viruses
In tropical areas, diseases caused by mosquitoes (malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, west nile virus, etc.) a major public health issue. The tiger mosquito can indeed be a vector of many viruses such as dengue, Zika or chikungunya.
These viruses, without a vaccine, cause high fever, headaches, intense fatigue and sometimes skin rashes. Severe forms of dengue can cause fatal hemorrhage, that of chikungunya neurological complications and that of Zika in rare cases fatal paralysis or cause fetal malformations.
These viruses do not actively circulate in mainland France but the occurrence of so-called “indigenous” secondary cases (contracted without travel) may occur following the return of “imported” cases. Persons carrying the virus from abroad can indeed transmit the virus to another person during a tiger mosquito bite.
In 2019, Public Health France counted 113 confirmed or probable cases of chikungunya, 923 cases of dengue and 17 cases of Zika virus infection. The vast majority of these cases result from contamination during a trip to a tropical country such as Thailand, the Ivory Coast, Cuba, the Congo or in overseas departments such as the Antilles and the meeting. Among these contaminations, 9 cases of dengue fever and 3 of zika are said to be “indigenous”, that is to say contracted in metropolitan France.
