Surveillance exotic mosquitoes in Belgium

Vector-borne diseases are a specific group of infections that present a (re-)emerging threat to Europe and require particular attention. The recent notifications of autochthonous transmission of dengue fever and chikungunya fever cases in Europe show its vulnerability to these diseases in areas where the vector, the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus , is present. Strengthening surveillance of exotic mosquito species such as Ae. albopictus , Aedes aegypti , Aedes atropalpus , Aedes japonicus , Aedes koreicus and Aedes triseriatus , in areas at risk of importation or spread of mosquitoes and risk of virus transmission is therefore required. This is particularly important in the context of environmental and climate changes which might allow an increase of vector populations and virus amplification. The collection of information and data on vectors of public health (PH) significance are of crucial importance to understand the levels of risk that countries face, and to define the actions that need to be taken. All the occurrences are collected during a surveillance study in 2012. All info here: Deblauwe I., Sohier C., Coosemans M. 2012. ExoSurv: implementation of surveillance of exotic mosquitoes in Belgium. Report for the Federal and Regional governments of Belgium, 130p