Exotics among them

After floods, we are now threatened by a plague of mosquitoes

Travelers must protect themselves. Malaria and other diseases from the tropics are often not immediately recognized here.

(Bild: Natur im Garten)

The receding tide has left behind tens of thousands of pools and puddles. These are now breeding grounds for mosquitoes ...

The flood is only slowly receding - and the water is likely to remain until late fall, especially in the floodplains, but also in parks and some gardens. And because it is still so mild after the natural disaster and may even get warmer, female mosquitoes will find plenty of habitats to lay their eggs. Even watering cans or other containers will therefore soon be teeming with twitching larvae, which will then develop into really annoying bloodsuckers.

Their bites may be annoying or even painful, but there is another insect danger on the horizon - that of exotic mosquitoes that can transmit malaria, a life-threatening disease. This is often mistaken by infected people for the flu or a gastrointestinal infection. According to the WHO, 240,000 million people contract malaria every year and 600,000 patients die from it.

A woman uses an anti-malaria spray.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/leungchopan)

Malaria in Austria?
The disease is caused by parasites known as plasmodia, transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. However, scientists warn that the spread of the infectious disease could also affect Austria. This is because higher temperatures favor this development, while in some areas of Africa it becomes too hot for the mosquitoes or water areas dry up.

Professor Till Bärninghausen, Director of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, even suspects that diseases such as malaria could become endemic in Europe as a result of global warming. They would then spread relatively quickly in certain areas with suitable conditions.

New malaria mosquito spotted in southern Italy
The news in April, when a new malaria-carrying mosquito was spotted in southern Italy after 50 years, sounded all the more dramatic. "However, the Malaria-Anopheles species mentioned at the time was not a sensation at all, as it has been known in Italy for some time and is also on the inventory list of native insects," reports ecologist Bernhard Seidel. He discovered a new species of these fever mosquitoes for Austria back in 2013. Malaria pathogens were detected in individual specimens.

Ecologist Bernhard Seidel

(Bild: Antal Imre/Imre Antal)

The material used at the time was collected in July and August. Warm nights offer the best conditions for the mosquitoes, it doesn't even have to be tropical nights. However, the problem is not solely dependent on mild weather.

It is fundamentally wrong to describe Anopheles mosquitoes as dangerous per se. Their role as malaria vectors requires a correspondingly large pool of carriers. Globalization and heavy travel increase the risk of malaria. The mosquitoes like to stay near human settlements, especially where pets are kept.

"The Austrian healthcare system is not in a position to react to the dynamics of malaria gels in advance," continues scientist Seidel. "The consequences of an epidemic, even just a few cases, would be frightening. Not only for the people who fall ill, if their disease is detected at all, but also in terms of the financial burden, because the blood donation system would incur costs in the millions," the expert analyzes.

The Austrian healthcare system is not in a position to react in advance to the dynamics of malaria outbreaks. The consequences of an epidemic, even just a few cases, would be frightening.

Ökologe Bernhard Seidel

Travelers have even brought in tiger mosquitoes
But it is not only malaria that is on the rise - the known cases were brought into the EU by travelers - the Asian tiger mosquito, which transmits Zika and dengue fever, has long been causing fear, horror and deaths. It has been spotted in Central Europe.