Paris Fumigates For Tiger Mosquitoes As Pest Spreads In Europe
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published August 31, 2023 | 10:41 PM
Health authorities in Paris fumigated areas of the French capital for the first time on Thursday to kill disease-carrying tiger mosquitoes whose rapid advance through northern Europe is thought to have been accelerated by climate change
Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Aug, 2023 ) :Health authorities in Paris fumigated areas of the French capital for the first time on Thursday to kill disease-carrying tiger mosquitoes whose rapid advance through northern Europe is thought to have been accelerated by climate change.
Roads were closed and people asked to stay in their homes in southeast Paris during the early hours of Thursday as pest control contractors sprayed insecticide in trees, green spaces and other mosquito-breeding areas.
Such scenes are a regular occurence in tropical cities and becoming increasingly common in Europe as the tiger mosquito, which can carry the dengue, chikungunya and zika viruses, spreads from its native southeast Asia.
"It was a first in Paris, but it's not the first in France," deputy Paris mayor Anne Souyris, who is in charge of health policy, told BFM television. "The south of France has been affected by tiger mosquitoes for some years." The regional health body for the capital, ARS Ile-de-France, said the area targeted for fumigation was 150 metres (500 feet) around the home of a person in the 13th district of the capital who had contracted dengue fever while travelling.
"These operations are being carried out to reduce the risk of transmission of dengue after a case was detected," it said.
A second fumigation operation has been planned overnight Thursday-Friday in the Colombes suburb northeast of central Paris, after a second person fell sick with dengue fever after returning from a foreign trip.
City authorities are trying to prevent a chain of transmission developing in the Paris region, which is home to an estimated 12 million people.
If a tiger mosquito stings a person who has imported a virus from abroad, it then becomes a carrier of the disease.
- Rapid spread - The tiger mosquito, also known as Aedes albopictus, arrived in southern Europe in the first decade of this century and has been pushing rapidly north ever since, establishing itself in France, Germany and Switzerland.
Health experts say it has thrived on the continent in part because of climate change, with warmer weather shortening the incubation period for its eggs while winters are no longer cold enough to kill off the pests.
After first being spotted in France in 2004, it is now present in 71 of its 96 departments on the mainland, even in areas close to the northern Channel coast, according to health ministry data.
People are encouraged to report sightings, with a special website collecting evidence.
"We are convinced that it is a risk that is going to get bigger," Marie-Claire Paty, head of a vector-borne disease monitoring unit at the public health body Sante Publique, told AFP in April.
Dengue and chikungunya have similar symptoms of fever, cramps and headaches and both can have serious complications, with chikungunya affecting the nervous system and dengue fever sometimes causing haemorrhaging.
Zika often causes no symptoms in infected people, but the virus can be dangerous for fetuses and cause severe brain problems and malformations in children.
Andrea Ammon, director of the EU's European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC), said in June that if the spread of the tiger mosquito continues "we can expect to see more cases and possibly deaths" from mosquito-borne diseases.
France had 65 locally acquired cases of dengue in 2022, according to the ECDPC.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PM to take part in World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh today
Punjab Police officer Riffat Bukhari wins global award
Punjab Police Hero ASP Shehbano Naqvi’s wedding festivities spark joy
TECNO CAMON 30 Series set to launch at a grand fashion show in Karachi
Record growth being witnessed in IT exports due to SIFC’s efforts
Pakistan, Canada agree to enhance cooperation in all fields
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 27 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 27 April 2024
HEC reviews curricula for environmental sciences degree programme
ICC Asia looking forward to an action-packed Asia Cricket Week
Yuvraj Singh named ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Ambassador
Greece hands Olympic flame to 2024 Paris Games hosts
More Stories From World
-
Benin police fire tear gas to break up union protest
53 seconds ago -
Estanguet emotional as Olympic torch sets sail for France
11 minutes ago -
Olympic torch begins its voyage to France
31 minutes ago -
Haliburton hits winner as Pacers hold off Bucks, T'Wolves push Suns to brink
51 minutes ago -
Star K-pop producer causes online stir after lashing out at industry bosses
51 minutes ago -
Kenyan patients suffer as doctors' strike grinds on
51 minutes ago
-
China to send 2 giant pandas to U.S.
2 hours ago -
China's industrial profits up 4.3 pct in Q1
2 hours ago -
5.9-magnitude quake hits Mid-Indian Ridge: USGS
2 hours ago -
Canada announces investment to grow semiconductor supply chain
2 hours ago -
Chinese company to build photovoltaic factory in Saudi port
2 hours ago -
Russia hits Ukrainian energy sites in 'massive' overnight attack
2 hours ago