The Department of Health, through the concessionary company of the pest control service in the urban environment Lokimica SA, is proceeding in recent days to the installation of several traps in order to monitor the presence of tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus ) in Totana.
This action, which has already been carried out in recent years, has made it possible to certify the presence of specimens of this mosquito species in various locations both in the urban area and in urban areas and rural areas of the municipality.
These traps remain active from the month of April until the end of November and are reviewed every two weeks in order to detect the presence of this mosquito, according to the municipal veterinary services of this department.
On the part of the municipal services, it is proceeded periodically to the treatment of the scuppers of rainwater, as well as in the encharcamientos of waters, by means of the application of insecticides larvicidas and adulticides, respectively.
Totana City Council participates in the Regional Mosquito Tigre Entomological Surveillance System, whose program has been carried out between the adjoining Town Councils, the Ministry of Health and the Faculty of Biology of the University of Murcia.
In addition, in the municipal facilities, posters have been placed on the "tiger mosquito" published by the Environmental Health Service of the Ministry of Health of the Region of Murcia, as well as a few leaflets in which the importance is reported health of the presence of tiger mosquito as well as the measures to be adopted in private homes aimed at avoiding their presence.
The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a potential vector of viral diseases, such as Dengue, Chikungunya, or Zika;
and it does not need large sheets of water for its breeding, but it prefers small water pools, such as containers, dishes or pots that are kept in the gardens, patios and terraces for pots, buckets with water, small fountains or ornamental lakes, drains of patios, terraces or swimming pools with water, drinkers for domestic animals, gutters, ashtrays.
For this reason, for its control, it is necessary for the neighbors to review the facilities of this type that can be had in the homes, avoiding small accumulations of water, or frequently renewing water from them.
The tiger mosquito is a small mosquito, adults do not usually exceed 5 mm in length;
and it is therefore smaller than the mosquitoes we are used to seeing.
On the other hand, it is a mosquito that usually has a low flight, so that the bites occur mainly in the legs, and sometimes can cause inflammatory reactions more evident than those of the native mosquitoes.
The activity of these mosquitoes is not limited to the night time, but is continuous throughout the day.
To avoid their bite, it is convenient to use mosquito repellents when leaving the gardens, terraces and patios of the houses, as well as the adoption of measures to avoid small waterlogging.
Among the repellent products that exist on the market, those that have proven most effective in protecting against the tiger mosquito are those that incorporate in its composition: DEET (18%), IR3535, ICARIDINE (15%) or CITRODIOL.
The use of products based on CITRONELLA has not been proven effective.
In the case of suspicion of the presence of tiger mosquito in any housing, neighbors can contact the City through the Department of Health.
