ECDC and World Health Organization communications have expressed expert concern about a possible upsurge in mosquito-borne epidemic risk phenomena in Europe this summer. In particular, the ECDC warned that the risk of certain diseases such as Dengue fever, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus and West Nile virus is increasing in Europe, which is linked to climate change and the increase of mosquitoes that are vectors of viruses.
In Greece, the first major data collection and analysis for 2023, carried out by Ecodevelopment in parallel with the mosquito control projects in different regions of the country, shows that the time period we have passed (from mid-May to end-June) in terms of epidemiological risk for West Nile Virus, indicates significantly lower levels of West Nile virus circulation this year, as recorded in adult mosquitoes and sentinel chickens. In terms of nuisance, mosquito populations, despite the rainfalls of the last period, are ranging without any peaks and troughs and close to the average of the last five years.
Thus, in the Region of Central Macedonia for the period 16/05 to 25/06, in 2023 a positivity of 1.6% was recorded from a total number of 182 mosquito larvae samples, compared to a positivity of 4% from a number of 299 samples for 2022. Similarly, in domestic hens (younger than 6 months old) in 2023 a seropositivity of 2% was recorded in 45 settlements, compared to a seropositivity of 11% in 53 settlements for 2022. This variation is important because it suggests a lower intensity of West Nile virus transmission to humans for the months of July-September and this correlation is inferred from epidemiological data collected systematically since 2010.
“So far there are no reasons of particular concern for the risk index related to mosquito-borne diseases and especially for West Nile virus, which has been endemic in the territory since 2010”, said the company’s president Spiros Mourelatos, speaking on the sidelines of the new webinar (3rd in a row, link to webinar recording) organized by the company. “These data serve the need for a timely and valid and derived from the recording-monitoring networks, and feed the risk assessment and forecasting models and other tools that Ecodevelopment has created and uses ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.ecodev.mosquitovision ) .
“The rich data material available to Ecodevelopment allows us to see and record at any time where we are in the mosquito control projects in Central Macedonia, Western Greece and Crete, in Thessaly and Western Macedonia and to compare the current situation with previous years, drawing useful conclusions on how the nuisance (mosquitoes) and the risk (of transmission) will evolve in the next period”, said Spyros Mourelatos at the recent webinar organized by the company on “Sharing and utilization of geospatial data in large-scale environmental projects” with the participation of distinguished scientists and experts.
See below some of the highlights of the press release:
Αθηναϊκό Μακεδονικό Πρακτορείο Ειδήσεων