Mon, Apr 29th 2024
After half a century, the Anopheles sacharovi mosquito, capable of spreading malaria, has been detected in Apulia, Italy.
A malaria-transmitting mosquito has reappeared in Italy after 50 years. Specimens of the species “Anopheles sacharovi” were found in the province of Lecce in the southern Italian Adriatic region of Apulia.
According to researchers, it is necessary to step up surveillance in southern Italy to prevent the risk of the disease being reintroduced, according to a study by Italy’s top health institute ISS.
“The presence of the malaria-transmitting mosquito is information that must be duly taken into account. We are monitoring its spread,” explained Pier Luigi Lopalco, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Salento.
Malaria is a disease caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium. The symptoms appear seven, 15 or more days after the bite of the infected insect. They vary in nature, but usually consist of often very high fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating and chills. Nowadays, malaria is mainly transmitted in the tropics and subtropics by the bite of a female mosquito of the genus Anopheles.
In the first half of the 20th century, Italy fought hard against the malaria plague. Many swampy areas were drained to stop the spread of malaria, and malaria was also a problem in Switzerland until many swamps were drained.
©Keystone/SDA
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