Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Dangerous mosquito now in Denmark
20. okt. 2014
A pond in Greve the size of an average garden has become home to the Nile Fever mosquito, 'Culex modestus'. The pond is close to a residential area in Greve Strand, south of Copenhagen.
This is the first time the mosquito has been found so far north in Europe and so close to human habitation.
The insect can transfer the dangerous diseases, West Nile fever and the African Usutu virus, from birds to humans, which can lead to a fatal brain infection. There is no vaccine against these illnesses.
Researchers at the National Veterinary Institute at the Danish Technical University (DTU) found the Nile fever mosquito in connection with their investigations into whether mosquitos that could transfer dangerous illnesses from animals to humans could come to Denmark.
Migratory birds can carry viruses
Epidemiologist, René Bødker, from the Epidemiological Section at the National Veterinary Institute, told DR News that the mosquito itself is harmless.
"It is only if migratory birds infected with the virus come here that it becomes dangerous. The insect does not care whether it bites birds or humans, which it can do at all times of the day or night" he said.
In August, the National Veterinary Institute caught 330 Nile Fever mosquitos at the pond. This corresponds to a bite ratio of one per minute. The mosquitos have gone now because it is autumn, but if we have a warm summer next year, they can come again.
Environmental changes rather than warm weather
The National Veterinary Institute has mosquito traps all over the country but it is only in Greve that this particular species has been found.
Even though the mosquito has probably arrived because of the warm weather caused by climate change, its presence is more likely to be due to environmental changes locally in Greve, Bødker says.
"If it was only due to the warm weather, we would undoubtedly find the mosquito other places in the country. But in this case, it is more likely because there have been some changes made to the beach area and a pond has been created where the mosquito thrives," Bødker said.
No cause for concern
Every year there are small outbreaks of Nile Fever in southern and central Europe. The National Veterinary Institute has previously found anti-bodies against the West Nile virus in migratory birds in Denmark, which shows that the birds have been infected with the virus on their way here.
The National Veterinary Institute has informed the local authorities in Greve about the mosquito and there is no need for locals in Greve or anywhere else in Denmark to worry, Bødker added.
The most important work has already been done in that we have discovered the mosquito in Denmark," he concluded.
DR Nyheder
20. okt. 2014
A pond in Greve the size of an average garden has become home to the Nile Fever mosquito, 'Culex modestus'. The pond is close to a residential area in Greve Strand, south of Copenhagen.
This is the first time the mosquito has been found so far north in Europe and so close to human habitation.
The insect can transfer the dangerous diseases, West Nile fever and the African Usutu virus, from birds to humans, which can lead to a fatal brain infection. There is no vaccine against these illnesses.
Researchers at the National Veterinary Institute at the Danish Technical University (DTU) found the Nile fever mosquito in connection with their investigations into whether mosquitos that could transfer dangerous illnesses from animals to humans could come to Denmark.
Migratory birds can carry viruses
Epidemiologist, René Bødker, from the Epidemiological Section at the National Veterinary Institute, told DR News that the mosquito itself is harmless.
"It is only if migratory birds infected with the virus come here that it becomes dangerous. The insect does not care whether it bites birds or humans, which it can do at all times of the day or night" he said.
In August, the National Veterinary Institute caught 330 Nile Fever mosquitos at the pond. This corresponds to a bite ratio of one per minute. The mosquitos have gone now because it is autumn, but if we have a warm summer next year, they can come again.
Environmental changes rather than warm weather
The National Veterinary Institute has mosquito traps all over the country but it is only in Greve that this particular species has been found.
Even though the mosquito has probably arrived because of the warm weather caused by climate change, its presence is more likely to be due to environmental changes locally in Greve, Bødker says.
"If it was only due to the warm weather, we would undoubtedly find the mosquito other places in the country. But in this case, it is more likely because there have been some changes made to the beach area and a pond has been created where the mosquito thrives," Bødker said.
No cause for concern
Every year there are small outbreaks of Nile Fever in southern and central Europe. The National Veterinary Institute has previously found anti-bodies against the West Nile virus in migratory birds in Denmark, which shows that the birds have been infected with the virus on their way here.
The National Veterinary Institute has informed the local authorities in Greve about the mosquito and there is no need for locals in Greve or anywhere else in Denmark to worry, Bødker added.
The most important work has already been done in that we have discovered the mosquito in Denmark," he concluded.
DR Nyheder