Fighting the tiger mosquito: new cards for health care!

Fighting the tiger mosquito: new cards for health care!

Combating mosquito-borne diseases is a growing challenge for health authorities worldwide. In particular, the Egyptian tiger mosquito, scientifically known as Aedes aegypti, has established itself as a significant vector of diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever. They prefer to reproduce in stagnant water collected in artificial containers such as water tanks or tires. These habitats are increasing due to increasing urbanization, as Dr. Knoblauch from the Geoinformatics research group at the IWR explains. Controlling mosquito populations is critical in many urban areas because global vaccine availability is almost exclusive to yellow fever.

The most effective measures to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes remain vector control through the elimination of breeding sites and the use of insecticides. In order to apply these methods in a targeted manner, precise maps showing the mosquitoes' potential habitats are essential. A recent study showed that using freely available geospatial data, including satellite and Street View imagery, it was possible to model up to 75% of the spatial variations in mosquito abundance in Rio de Janeiro. 79 environmental indicators were used, which took into account breeding site density as well as urban morphological and climatic characteristics.

Research and international cooperation

These promising results are the result of international collaboration between research groups at Heidelberg University and scientists from countries such as Brazil, Great Britain, Austria and the USA. The project was supported by the German Research Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund. The results were published in the journal “The Lancet Planetary Health”. The development of a Bayesian model has made it possible to estimate the presence of mosquitoes in space and time more precisely. This could have far-reaching implications for the development of targeted interventions in urban areas.

In Europe the situation is no less complicated. In France, for example, the Aedes albopictus, or tiger mosquito, has been widespread since 2004. There were 11 local sources of dengue transmission in 2024 with a total of 83 cases, mainly in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitanie regions. This data comes from an enhanced surveillance period that ran from May 1 to November 30, 2024. Traceability and preventive measures by national health authorities and mosquito control services are needed to prevent the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.

Global epidemics and future challenges

The global denge situation in 2024 is alarming. Over 12 million cases have been recorded worldwide, the highest number since 1980. Epidemics in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane are examples of how serious the situation is. In the period from January to April 2024, 2,271 imported dengue cases were reported in France, underlining the urgency of taking effective measures to control mosquito populations. These challenges are influenced by several factors: demographics, ecological conditions and access to medical facilities play a crucial role in the transmission of these diseases.

Given this complexity, a European consortium working on vector-borne infections has developed modern methods for surveillance, control and prevention of vector populations. The EDENEXT project has developed predictive models of spread and continues to investigate biological-ecological relationships to reduce transmission risks to humans and animals.