Mosquitoes and ticks can transmit viruses to humans. They can be either direct vectors without any intermediate host (as is the case for mosquitoes) or have an intermediate host (as is the case for ticks).
In recent years, due to global temperature changes, two phenomena have been observed i) the migration of mosquitoes to places that have become warmer, enabling them to adapt to new niches and spread to new areas, and ii) the ability to better survive in different seasons. The increasing incidence of warm winters favours better conditions for mosquitoes and ticks. This increases the exposure of humans to virus infection, especially in urban areas.
The viruses that cause Zika (ZIK), Dengue (DEN), Chikungunya (CHIK) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) belong to the same virus family. ZIK, DEN and CHIK are transmitted by mosquitoes, and TBE is transmitted by ticks. Mosquitoes are responsible for the spread of human diseases such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya and some neurological disorders, while ticks are responsible for the spread of encephalitis. Once infected with the virus, the most common symptoms are usually mild and characterised by fever, skin rash, joint pains and conjunctivitis. In May 2015, an outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection occurred in Brazil with an estimated total of up to 1.3 million of ZIKV infection cases. This event caught the attention of scientists, the media and the public, and raised awareness of the risk of underestimating mosquito-carried disease and the need to mitigate the spread of the virus by operating at multiple levels (i.e. developing vaccines, mapping the distribution of mosquitoes, and controlling their habitats).
This report provides the public with four pillars of information. The first (chapters 1-3) gives general information about the vectors, viruses and the detection methods, and the second (chapter 4) gives the most recent literature data about their distribution, particularly in Europe. The third (chapter 5) is mainly focused on ZIKV, and compares the recent extensive media attention given to this with the scientific results, in order to avoid the spread of fake news (incorrect scientific news). Finally, the fourth pillar (chapter 6) describes mosquito control strategies, which includes several tactics for limiting the spread of mosquitoes and monitoring their habitats.
CONDUTO ANTÓNIO Diana Sofia;
SANSEVERINO Isabella;
POZZOLI Luca;
LETTIERI Teresa;
2018-01-03
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC107421
978-92-79-80856-2,
1831-9424,
EUR 29001 EN,
OP KJ-1A-29001-EN-N,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC107421,
10.2760/067022,
