Brit holidays caused by the Canary Islands, warning of dangerous ‘yellow fever’ mosquitoes

BRITS faces a holiday in Spain after the Canary Islands were placed on alert against the dangerous “yellow fever” mosquito.

The Minister of Health and Tourism issued a warning after detecting two yellow fever mosquito larvae on the island La Palma.

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Formally known as Aedes Aegypti, these mosquitoes can spread a number of viruses including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika.

The Canary Islands Government’s Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, said intensive measures would be in place until the mosquitoes were eradicated.

He said larval analysis had not detected any transmissible virus.

The minister added that the islands are experienced in eradicating the species using their surveillance system, after one was discovered in Fuerteventura in 2017.

The local government in La Palma has urged residents to be vigilant and experts recommend that households remove stagnant water in their homes and streets.

The Canary Islands Entomological Monitoring System is currently attempting the early detection of adult specimens, larval eggs.

The program has been activated at all medical centers and pharmacies on the island.

Mosquito monitoring points have also been extended to ports and airports as well as other high-risk areas including greenhouses, cemeteries, tire dumps and banana packing plants.

Spokesman tell express.co.uk: “Mosquito bites need to breed very close to them.

“That’s why the most effective measure against them is to track or remove their spawn points.”

Experts say the cooperation of residents and tourists is crucial to monitoring invasive species in the Canary Islands.

Public Health inspectors will analyze any bite with a home survey, photography and egg examination.

If people detect mosquitoes, they must send photos via email to the General Department of Public Health. vectors.scs@gobiernodecanarias.orgalong with the geographic location of the suspected mosquito.

People should also submit photos of bites they consider suspicious. This includes bites with a strong inflammatory response and excessive itching, possibly caused by the Aedes mosquito.

These mosquitoes are black with stripes and smaller than normal mosquitoes. They are likely to appear in urban areas, stagnant sewage and often bite during the day.

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