Threat in a European country. It’s best to stay away from them
Threatening insects lurk on people relaxing in Portugal. Warnings have been issued for a specific region, in which you must be particularly careful. It’s about health and even life issues.
The situation applies to the Cova da Beira region in the Castelo Branco district. This is the eastern part of the country. This is where the presence of mosquitoes of the Aedes Albopictus genre was detected. Medical services have announced that insects distribute infectious tropical diseases, including dengue or viral diseases such as ZIKA and chikungunya. Residents and tourists should be particularly careful.
Mosquitoes in Portugal
The worst is to be in the city of Covilha and its surroundings. For several days, dangerous mosquitoes have been flying much more than usual. The Aedes Albopictus species, or tiger mosquito is not only invasive, but also spreads. It is easy to distinguish it from traditional intruders of this type. They look like black insects with characteristic, silver-white stripes on the torso, legs and abdomen, reminiscent of a tiger coat. On their legs we will notice clear, bright, silver or white stripes.
This is not the first threat of this type in Portugal. In August, a similar message was also issued by the health service from the Leiria district in the Middle West of the country. At that time, it was also about Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes, but it was detected in the commune of Pombal. In addition, the presence of these species was drawn to the medical services of the Alexejo regions and Algarve popular among tourists, in the south of the country.
It must be done on the spot
People staying in the aforementioned region of Portugal were called to initiate specific actions to prevent the disaster. Medical services recommend emptying all water containers around the houses that could conducive to the growth of mosquito population. These can be, among others unwanted swimming pools.
To maintain safety, residents should also exchange drinking water for farm animals more often.
Do tourists have anything to be afraid of? Dgega tropical diseases spread by tiger mosquito are really dangerous. They most often occur in Asia, the countries of the Pacific region, the Caribbean, South and Central America and Africa. In places such as Portugal, however, there is also a risk of infection. The disease occurs, among others on Madeira.
The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has allowed a vaccine against dengue fever, whose acceptance is recommended for tourists planning a journey to tropical and subtropical regions.
