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Date Published: 20/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Exponential rise of ticks and mosquitos in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Global warming and higher temperatures in Spain have seen the population of these pests skyrocket

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Exponential rise of ticks and mosquitos in Spain

Two of the most irritating insects, ticks and mosquitoes, are on the rise in Spain according to experts, leaving humans and pets open to a range of serious diseases. Agustín Estrada, professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zaragoza, has recently warned that the critters are “increasing exponentially” due to global warming, meaning that their active season has become much longer.

Ticks

The tick population has exploded throughout Spain this year, with many communities spraying local parks and walkways during the summer to reduce their number. Of the 900 species identified worldwide, more than 20 are found in Spain and the parasitic mites can carry diseases deadly to both humans and animals, such as Lyme disease and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

The latter has been discovered thirteen times since 2013 and has resulted in three fatalities. However, experts believe that other cases must have gone unnoticed due to lack of proper diagnoses.

And the problems don’t end there, as pest specialist Jorge Galván has warned that future pandemics after Covid-19 will most likely be of zoonotic origin, that is, infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans, and the prevalence of the tick poses yet another complication.

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Exponential rise of ticks and mosquitos in Spain

Mosquitoes

Likewise, increasing temperatures and milder winters have led to a proliferation of mosquitoes capable of carrying the nasty West Nile virus, which can affect people, horses and other mammals. Infections in humans can be serious and may lead to neurological disease and even death.

Until recently, the virus was only occasionally reported in Europe and was believed to have entered the continent via infected birds migrating from Africa, but several outbreaks have been registered in Spain already this year.

The warmer weather has certainly benefited this insect population, with infected female common house mosquitoes (Culex pipiens) able to survive in winter in areas where it previously would have died off.

Mosquitoes like ground water, and the high proportion of irrigated land in Spain is an ideal environment. Ironically though, areas that have experienced drought have also seen a population boom, as the pests move within closer proximity of urban areas in search of water.

Images: Archive

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