Watch out for unwanted insects on holiday

mosquitoes

For example, the Greek government recently warned against mosquitoes that can transmit the West Nile virus. The West Nile virus is transmitted by a house mosquito. This mosquito also lives in the Netherlands, but does not yet have the virus, because it is (still) too cool. About 80 percent of people don’t notice anything when they’ve been stung. In 20 percent mild flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle aches occur.

Just under 1 percent develop serious complaints. In the most severe case, it can lead to meningitis and paralysis. Sometimes even resulting in death. This risk is especially true for the elderly and people with a weakened immune system. The Greek Ministry of Health advises holidaymakers to wear protective clothing, avoid standing water, use insect repellent spray and use mosquito nets to avoid being stung.

giant tick

Never travel without tick tweezers, because ticks are found in many countries. It is always important to remove a tick as soon as possible. The longer the tick is in the skin, the greater the chance that it will transmit pathogens. Always note the date of the tick bite, the location and the country and area where you contracted the tick bite. If you go to the doctor with complaints, always report that you have been bitten by a tick. Six so-called hyalomma ticks were recently found in Germany. These are three times the size of ‘normal ticks’.

Experts fear that these ticks will spread further. This tick can transmit dangerous diseases. For example, the giant ticks carry the virus that causes Crimean Congo fever. This virus spreads through blood and lymphatic channels in the body and leads to liver damage and sometimes even death of the liver. Wearing covered clothing and spraying your clothing with insect repellent can help prevent you from being bitten, but you can never prevent it completely. So always check if you have been bitten when you have been outside.

Oak and pine processionary caterpillar

There is also a lot of nuisance from the oak processionary caterpillar in other European countries. In addition, the pine processionary caterpillar is advancing to the north. Until now, the pine processionary caterpillar mainly occurred in the south of Europe (France, Spain, Italy), but this year the first reports are coming in from the Ardennes. This caterpillar has even more hair than the oak processionary caterpillar. Are you going camping? Make sure that you do not put your tent or caravan under a den that contains these annoying critters. The complaints that you can get from the stinging hairs of the pine processionary caterpillar are the same as those of the oak processionary caterpillar: skin complaints and irritation to the eyes and the respiratory tract.

sand flies

Have you been on the beach and now annoying itchy bumps everywhere? Sandflies may have caught you. They occur in holiday countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. Sand flies pee on your skin while sucking blood. This itches terribly and will only get worse if you scratch. Sand flies can transmit a parasite that can cause an infectious disease: leishmaniasis. There are many types of Leishmania. Leishmania infantum is a species that occurs around the Mediterranean Sea and is transferred from dogs or rats to humans by sand flies. The critters are especially active around twilight. Protective clothing, insect repellent and mosquito nets can help keep the flies at bay.

bed bugs

And finally, you really don’t want to think about it and would rather not encounter them at all: bed bugs. Still, you’d better check the mattress of your hotel bed before you plop down on it. They are small egg-shaped brown creatures with a flat body. They do not like light and during the day they sit in the seams of a mattress or in the slatted frame of a bed. They can be very annoying. They bite and cause bumps that are extremely itchy. It will not make you sick, but in most cases it will take a few weeks before the bumps disappear.