From BZ/dpa
Numerous Berliners have already sent information about a possible tiger mosquito occurrence to a new central contact point. This was only set up in mid-August.
“Immediately after the publication of our offer, we received over 100 e-mails,” said the Mitte district office. “Almost all e-mails explicitly claim a tiger mosquito occurrence.” This has not yet been confirmed in any case, but monitoring is only at the beginning, it said.
The district reported that most of the emails came from the outskirts of Berlin and also from near the water areas. “I am very satisfied with the reaction of the population, obviously there was also a lack of a low-threshold contact point,” said Mitte’s medical officer Lukas Murajda. According to the district, the first thing to do is to collect and evaluate data. We will then proceed further on that basis. “Many expect us to go straight into town and fight all the mosquitoes. However, that is not our job and would not be efficient and appropriate now,” it said.
The district office is now appealing: “If something has bitten you, send it to us!” Caught mosquitoes can be sent by letter: it is enough to put the insect between paper towels or napkins beforehand.
The address: Vector Monitoring, Health Department Berlin-Mitte, Building B, Turmstraße 21, 10559 Berlin. The senders are asked to also state the district and, if possible, the exact address. The date of an engraving is also of interest.
The authorities responsible for health at state and district level recently agreed that the Mitte district office would play a central role in the joint fight against the tiger mosquito in Berlin. An expert had previously sounded the alarm that time was running out. People from all over Berlin can now contact [email protected] if they suspect they have been bitten by a tiger mosquito or if they have been caught.
Tiger mosquitoes can transmit dangerous tropical disease infections. They have spread further into northern regions as a result of climate change. However, diseases such as dengue fever are still rare in this country. According to the State Office for Health and Social Affairs, previous tiger mosquito evidence comes from Treptow-Köpenick and Neukölln.