August 8, 2023. Spain has been on alert for a strange plague for a few days. The National Association of Environmental Health Societies (Anecpla) explains in all the media that “musca negra”, or the black fly, has invaded the country for a few years.
It’s because the blackfly (its little scientific name), smaller than a “domestic” fly, has the particularity… of biting! “She then spits out an anticoagulant saliva, which makes people bleed a little bit”explains Gérard Duvallet, medical and veterinary entomologist, interviewed by The Parisian.
This insect, capable of blinding cattle and the birds it attacks, would also be present in France. “Usually, we have feedback from pharmacists who see the victims of injections pass through the month of August. For the moment, we have not had any signals”however, said the doctor.
Regarding humans, “the vector species of pathologies such as onchocerciasis, or river blindness, which can cause blindness, is only observed in West Africa”adds the entomologist.
They are present in Europe because of repeated heat waves
On the African continent, “The black fly can be observed in the mountains, but also in the plains, in moving streams. The larvae develop when there is organic matter in the water. They collect anything that floats to nourish, like the milk that a breeder would pour into a stream”develops Gérard Duvallet.
The rise in temperatures, with repeated heat waves, would be the main factor in the proliferation of blackflies in Spain, and more widely in southern Europe, including here. However, these particularly voracious black flies are only observed in France during the summer period.
To avoid allergic reactions, “After a bite, all you have to do is dispense with soap, disinfect the wounds, and at worst consult a pharmacist to ask for an anti-itch cream or an ointment in case of inflammation”.
No human deaths linked to the “black fly” have yet been observed.
