European authorities are concerned about the rise in diseases caused by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever, Zika or West Nile virus. In Portugal, more than 60 cases of dengue fever have been reported since the beginning of the year, all of them imported, most of them from Brazil. In Europe, according to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), 4,900 imported cases of dengue fever were reported in 2023, significantly higher than the previous year (1,572). Last year, 130 cases of dengue fever were reported in Europe, including Spain, significantly higher than the numbers recorded in the previous 10 years. “In the first months of 2024, several countries reported a significant increase in the number of imported cases of dengue fever,” warns the ECDC. For West Nile virus, 713 cases were reported in nine EU countries in 2023, resulting in 67 deaths. Although the number of infections is lower than in 2022, there are more regions with cases, indicating the geographical dispersion of the virus. The rise in cases of mosquito-borne illness is being driven by climate change, which is creating more favorable conditions for the spread of invasive species, and by increased travel to and from countries where dengue fever is endemic.
Invasive species in Portugal
In Portugal, the invasive species aedes albopictus is present in 11 municipalities (Penafiel, Loule, Olhão, Albufeira, Tavira, SB-Alportel, Faro, Mértola, Serpa, Lisbon and Oeiras), and the invasive species aedes aegypti is present in Madeira. According to the latest report from the Vector Surveillance Network (REVIVE) of the National Institute of Health by Dr. Ricardo Jorge, no pathogens transmissible to humans were detected in more than 40 thousand mosquitoes collected and analyzed in 2023.
