2023-08-22 14:00:03
After the appearance of a case of dengue fever, a mosquito control operation took place on the night of August 21 to 22, 2023 in the Krutenau district of Strasbourg. On seven hectares, the specialized teams sprayed an insecticide in micro-droplets in order to eliminate any presence of the tiger mosquito.
A mosquito control operation took place around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday August 22 in the Krutenau district of Strasbourg. It follows the detection of a case of dengue in a person who recently stayed in a tropical country where this disease is present.
The sector concerned was the Place du Foin. Seven hectares of land were sprayed with insecticides in nearly 30 minutes. The perimeter was decided by the investigators on site. “When a person declares an illness, there is an epidemiological investigation. We ask what his movements were, “explains Christelle Bender, technical manager of Bas-Rhin mosquito control union.
“Then, we look to see if the tiger mosquito is present in the area. If so, there is a risk of transmission and therefore we carry out mosquito control.“, she adds. Indeed, dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of a tiger mosquito. The most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rashes cutaneous.
The mosquito that has bitten a person can infect others during the so-called “viremia” period, that is to say the time during which the virus remains present in the blood. It is therefore imperative to eliminate all risks. Fortunately, the tiger mosquito moves very little.
On the 150 meters of the area concerned at the Krutenau, the experts of theRhône-Alpes interdepartmental mosquito control agreement (EID), authorized to distribute the insecticide, carry out checks before the operation. “We will quickly do a reconnaissance to start the treatment at 2:30 am. You must check that there are no obstacles in the area to be treated and that you can access the backyards“, indicates Remy Foussadier, director of the EID.
The product is spread on the places where it can find refuge
Rémi Foussadier, director of EID Rhône-Alpes
The objective, for professionals, is to have spreading over the entire perimeter. “At the moment, the tiger mosquito is not very active. It is an insect that moves during the day. At night he is at rest. That’s why we spread the product on places where it can find refuge, such as backyards, gardens or groves.“, specifies the director of the EID.
On board a pick-up, the professionals spray everything in their path. The product, made from a pyrethroid or pyrethrins found in conventional mosquito repellents, is sprayed at the rear of the vehicle.
“There is a fan at 10,000 rpm which creates a current of air. It then arrives in the nozzles containing the product. Then the fins that are present inside will cause jets of water in microdroplets. A 20 micron mist is then sprayed“, details Rémi Foussadier.
The insecticide acts immediately. It remains suspended in the air for 10 minutes. During this period of suspension, we aim for lethal activity on the tiger mosquito. The inhabitants, for their part, had to stay at home with the windows closed for the duration of the operation and the 30 minutes that followed.
This is the second mosquito control operation since the beginning of summer 2023. At the end of July, another case of dengue was detected in the Neuhof sector.
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