The very high temperatures allow the eggs to survive even in this period. But here are the dangers on the health front
The record heat which hit Italy in October, with temperatures 3.15 degrees higher than the historical average for the month and an upward trend that continues into November, it has lengthened the mosquito seasonto the point that in numerous Italian cities citizens still have to deal with the bites of this annoying insect.
The alarm: Mosquitoes until Christmas
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A situation which, unfortunately, risks continuing until Christmas. He reports it Italian Society of Environmental Medicine, which reminds us of the dangers on the health front. “Temperatures well above seasonal averages have created favorable conditions for aalteration of the life and reproduction cycles of some insects – explains the president Sima, Alessandro Miani -. The anomalous heat, in fact, allows mosquito eggs to survive thanks to a milder autumn, and adult animals to stay alive, reproduce and multiply. A discussion that does not only apply to the types of mosquitoes that are more resistant to the cold, such as the Japanese one (Aedes japonicus japonicus) or Korean (Aedes koreicus), present above all in some areas of northern Italy, but also for the widespread common mosquito (Culex pipiens) and the fearsome tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). We remember that in our country there are around 60 species of mosquitoescompared to over 3,000 present throughout the world.”
Dengue danger
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“In the absence of a sudden and significant drop in temperatures, in some areas of the country mosquitoes could continue to rage even until Christmas”, continues Miani. “A change that entails not only annoyances and inconveniences for citizens, but also dangers on the health front: among the diseases transmitted to humans by mosquitoes there are some very serious ones, such as dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV) and yellow fever (YFV). Based on ISS data updated to 6 November 2023, since the beginning of the year in Italy there have already been 306 cases of Dengue, 7 cases of Zika Virus; 7 cases of Chikungunya; 44 cases of neuro-invasive infection”, concludes Miani.
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