The presence of a mosquito and a person who incubates the disease is enough to certify transmission to another healthy person. It is precisely the coastal tourist areas, with heat, humidity and a swaying of people from all sides, the maximum candidates to be the scene of possible epidemic outbreaks of the following five tropical diseases that we tell you below.
5 diseases transmitted by the tiger mosquito and its relatives
1. Chikungunya: is a viral disease, originating in the plains of Mozambique and Tanzania, which is transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes and therefore the tiger mosquito can transmit even if it comes from Asia. Chikunguya in the local language of the area, the maconde, means “twisted walking”, and refers to the fact that those who suffer from it are twisted with pain, as it affects the head and joints, also causing fever. Most of the cases registered in Europe are imported, as is the case with Zika and dengue. But not all: in Italy there were at least 14 confirmed autochthonous cases in 2017. It is not a serious disease, but it is annoying.
2. Zika: although it is a viral disease of African origin, it is widespread thanks to globalization throughout the tropics, i.e. part of Latin America and Asia. The symptoms are joint pains, fever and conjunctivitis and they pass quickly; however there is a real danger in pregnant women that a disease will occur in the future newborn called microcephaly, which produces a significant physical and mental decline, as explained in Six Truths and Four Myths about the zika virus in Spain. In Spain it is in danger of becoming an endemic disease if the tiger mosquito manages to maintain its reproductive activity all year round, something that cannot be discarded with climate change.
3. Dengue: transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti, but also by the tiger mosquito, its symptoms are similar to those of a flu or a stomach virus, with fever, headaches and pains in joints and muscles, rash and occasionally vomiting. However, in the severe or “hemorrhagic” version, severe hemorrhages can occur that end in the death of the patient. Native cases have already occurred in France, Portugal, Italy and Croatia, and in Spain for the time being it is considered an imported disease with a risk of becoming endemic on the warm coastline.
4. Yellow fever: was common in Catalonia and the Spanish Levant for centuries because of sailors, but is typically tropical. The problem is that it has been seen that the tiger mosquito can transmit it, as can Aedes aegypti, which makes it possible for it to return through infected travellers. With a mortality rate of over 50% in misdiagnosed cases, it is considered a serious disease with no cure. However, the good news is that there is a preventive vaccine with an effectiveness in 99% of cases from the tenth day after the first vaccine.
5. East Nile Fever: both Aedes aegypti and Aedres japonicus have been shown to transmit this disease, which is fatal in less than 1% of cases involving the nervous system. The main problem is that the virus that causes it uses as vector of infection birds that usually stop passing through our country in their migrations from the south, so it does not need migrants to spread, just a mosquito bite one of these birds.
