Asian Tiger Mosquito Reappears in Asser Business Park

President Wilfred Reynolds of Platform Stop Invasieve Exoten has been fighting for transparency when it comes to the tiger mosquito for years. This year he also submitted a Wob (Public Access to Government Act) application on the subject. “The tiger mosquito was found in Amstelveen in March of this year. After submitting the Wob application, I was given the name of the company. Now I have also made such a request and we are waiting for a response. The names of the companies are now also in the report.”

Two years ago, the State Council decided that there was no need to keep the names of companies where tiger mosquitoes were found secret, because they were related to environmental information. However, NVWA only discloses the municipality and residential district. They do this for privacy reasons.

diseases

The mosquito species is native to Southeast Asia and has spread worldwide through international transmission in recent years. The tiger mosquito can carry more than 20 different infectious diseases, including Zika, dengue (dengue), and chikungunya, and infect humans and animals. “But the potential for tiger mosquitoes in the Netherlands to transmit infectious disease viruses such as dengue and chikungunya is negligible,” says NVWA spokeswoman Judith van Kessel.

It says surrounding businesses and residents have now been informed of the situation via messages. The NVWA is busy with tiger mosquito control: “Our inspectors return to the breeding site every three weeks. They will continue to do so until the end of the mosquito season, until mid-October.” NVWA also ensures companies comply with the rules to prevent the permanent establishment of tiger mosquitoes. To date, no violations have been identified in Assen.

tire company

Tiger mosquitoes are found on June 23, July 5, July 12, July 14 and July 20. The number of mosquitoes found was not specified at the date of discovery. At the end of the year, the total number of mosquitoes per site was reported. Last year, sixteen Asian tiger mosquitoes were observed in the teeth.

The Asian tiger mosquito has been found in Assen for several years in a row, including at tire company Dekabo. That company did not say if mosquitoes were found again with them recently. One of the ways in which the tiger mosquito is spread is through importers of used car tires. Mosquito eggs travel in used car tires. The eggs hatch at their destination.

Parliamentary questions

Just before the summer recess, D66 Member of Parliament Gerd de Groot asked questions to Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Minister Carola Schouten about the lack of openness for the third time. Schouten is responsible for NVWA.

Following previous parliamentary questions, the NVWA has posted the number of mosquitoes found on its website since the beginning of this year. “Good development, because the number of mosquitoes caught can say something about the extent of the spread and the chance of reproduction. But the history of the catch is not mentioned,” Reynolds explains.

Now that has been modified again and the number of mosquitoes caught is no longer on the site. However, at the end of the year the total number of mosquitoes in each municipality will be announced. In addition to the assen, this year tiger mosquitoes were also found in Amstelveen, Lelystad, Mordec and Sittard Jilin.

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