The mosquito Aedes albopictus, commonly called tiger mosquito, arrived in 2004 in Menton and has since colonized the Alpes-Maritimes and the Principality of Monaco. This mosquito can be the vector of viral diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika.
How do you recognize a tiger mosquito? The tiger mosquito measures less than one centimetre. It is easily recognizable by its black and white stripes on the body, its legs and its black wings. Finally, the tiger mosquito is active during the day.
Prevention of risks: None of the diseases that can be transmitted by this insect (Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika) can be transmitted directly from person to person. On the other hand, if the mosquito bites an infected person, it can transmit the virus to a healthy subject, at the time of a new injection.
The prevention of these diseases from an imported case (a person who has stayed in an endemic zone and presenting the disease on his return) is therefore based on the following recommendations:
The domestication of public spaces and sites
The reduction of the number of mosquitoes by the removal of stagnant water on the terraces and gardens (cups, pots, vases, channels, etc.)
Repulsion of mosquitoes by suitable skin sprays or mosquito coils and spirals
The use of window and bed mosquito nets.
Symptoms suggestive: On return from a trip, there is suspicion of Chikungunya or Dengue in a person with: – fever greater than 38.5 ° C, sudden onset – at least one sign among the following: headache, arthralgia, myalgia, lumbago or retro-orbital pain.
There is a suspicion of Zika virus disease in cases of rash-type rash (with or without fever) and at least two of the following: conjunctival hyperemia, arthralgia, myalgia. A blood test confirms the diagnosis.
In case of doubt, and waiting for an emergency consultation with the doctor or the Emergency Department of the Princess Grace Hospital, it is strongly recommended to use a suitable skin repellent to Aedes albopictus, for the patient and his close entourage.