Tiger mosquitoes found in eight Dutch provinces this summer

The Asian tiger mosquito has been spotted in eight of the twelve Dutch provinces this summer. The mosquito, which can transmit serious diseases to humans, was found in approximately 65 places in 13 residential neighborhoods, tire companies, and garden centers, RTL Nieuws reports based on figures from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

The tiger mosquito is not native to the Netherlands. They originally mostly came to the country from Asia in car tires and certain bamboo plants. Nowadays, the tiger mosquito is also common in Mediterranean regions, so they also come to the Netherlands in holidaymakers’ cars, caravans, and campers.

The tiger mosquito can transmit over 20 viral diseases to humans, including dengue fever and Zika. But the chance of that happening in the Netherlands is still negligible, Arjan Stroo of the NVWA said last month. To spread an infection, the mosquito must bite an infected person and then another person. A large number of mosquitoes can thus lead to an outbreak of a disease. But the insect isn’t in the Netherlands on that scale yet.

The Stop Invasive Exotics platform, which has been monitoring the development of exotic mosquitoes in the Netherlands for years, thinks the NVWA should do more to inform holidaymakers how to prevent bringing the insects back to the Netherlands. “If the tiger mosquito really establishes itself in the Netherlands, it will be very difficult to combat them effectively,” foundation chair Wilfed Reiholt told RTL Nieuws.

The NVWA will release the official figures on how many tiger mosquitoes it found next year. The authority also tracts Asian forest mosquitoes and yellow fever mosquitoes.