2023-08-08 06:55:00
Present in France for years, this insect reproduces all the more when the mercury is high. How to protect yourself from it? Should we be afraid of it?
By Benoît Leroy for Le Point
© Odilon Dimier / MAXPPP / 6PA/MAXPPP
Published on
Anear the alert, the advice. On August 5, in Spain, the health authorities warned the inhabitants – and the many tourists present during this summer season – regarding the proliferation of an insect still unknown to the general public… the black fly! If, for the time being, the animal is not a vector of a disease, as may be the case with the tiger mosquito, its bites can sometimes be very painful.
Indeed, unlike bees, wasps or other mosquitoes, the black fly – or black fly – bites its victims instead of stinging them. She is forced to feed on blood in order to ensure the development of her eggs. Therefore, only females are responsible for these bites. Born in the tropics of the American continent, the black fly has now settled in many regions of the world. In all, 1,000 different species of this fly exist in the world. In France, the insect appeared several years ago.
In France, the insect is only observed during the summer season and to a lesser extent than in Spain due to the heat which is greater in the Iberian Peninsula. The development of the fly is, in fact, all the more rapid when it is hot. Thus, very touristic regions – such as Andalusia, Aragon or Catalonia, for example – are affected by the proliferation of the black fly.
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According to the medical and veterinary entomologist Gérard Duvallet, interviewed by our colleagues from Parisian, this black fly does not carry any disease. “Whatever happens, the vector species of pathologies, such as onchocerciasis or river blindness, which can cause blindness, is only observed in West Africa”, he explains.
Fever and nausea if bitten
To date, no deaths that can be attributed to the bite of a black fly have been recorded. In some cases, bites can cause fever, headache or nausea. Symptoms can last up to several weeks and in some cases require hospitalization. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact your doctor or 15.
READ ALSOMalaria: new hope to stop the parasiteHow to avoid crossing this fly and being bitten? In its warning message, Spain’s National Association of Environmental Health Societies advised locals and tourists to avoid riverside walks at dawn or sunset. At the same time, it is better to wear dark loose clothes. The repellents you use to protect yourself from mosquitoes can also be a very good solution, they explained. If bitten, don’t panic. “You just have to do without soap, disinfect the wounds and at worst consult a pharmacist to ask for an anti-itch cream,” explains the entomologist.
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