More than one in two French people are at risk of being bitten by this insect this summer. the tiger mosquito, with white stripes, came from Asia, appeared in France for the first time 18 years ago, imported by travelers and it is now present in two thirds of the French departments. It is reported not only in the South, but also in Alsace, Brittany, or the Paris region. Only high altitude areas or departments with cooler temperatures escape, for the moment, its presence.
What are the risks associated with this tiger mosquito compared to ordinary mosquitoes? The skin can sometimes be more reactive, more red, due to the nature of this mosquito’s saliva, explains Frédéric Simard, entomologist at the Montpellier Research and Development Institute. But, in general, that’s all. Nevertheless, this mosquito poses a long-term public health problem, because it is capable of transmitting certain viruses such as dengue, and zika or chikungunya. These viruses do not live in our latitudes? but carriers (who return from a trip) can therefore exceptionally transmit them on French soil, during a tiger mosquito bite.
80 “native” cases of dengue fever, zika or chikungunya have thus been identified in France.
To avoid mosquito bites in general, we can forget repellent bracelets based on essential oil which act too locally. Ultrasounds, violet light lamps, it’s ineffective. These lamps can trap other insects but not mosquitoes which are much more attracted by our smell and our heat than by light.
On the other hand, to protect yourself, what remains effective are mosquito nets, light and loose clothing, the drafts that can be created with fans. Repellents can also protect us for several hours. The magazine 60 million consumers has just tested nearly thirty of them. It’s worth the cost of comparing brands, because depending on the formulas, the duration of protection can vary from a simple or double from four to eight hours.