(PCM) Imagine living in a world where the frustration of swatting away those insanely annoying little blood sucking creatures more commonly known as mosquitoes wasn’t just reserved for when the sun went down. Give it a some time and you’ll no longer have to imagine such a world; you’ll be living in it.
The Asian tiger mosquito, also known as Aedes albopictus, has been on the rise in America since its introduction to the U.S. in the 1985. The tiger mosquito population in the U.S. has for the most part been concentrated in the south east, in states like Florida and Georgia, but in recent years, the mosquitoes have started to rapidly move across the country, annihilating its natural competitors on the way.
What’s so scary about the Asian tiger mosquito? Unlike most mosquitoes that only come out at dawn, dusk, and when the sun is down, Asian tiger mosquitoes are known to feed during the day, giving them more potential to make a snack out of your blood. Also, whereas the bite of most mosquitoes can be felt due to their lingering nature, allowing people to swat and kill them, the Asian tiger mosquito is a rapid biter, biting people 15-20 times in the span of a minute, making it harder to swat.
The same size as most mosquitoes, the Asian tiger mosquito has distinctive black and white stripes on its legs and body, hence its nickname as the “tiger” mosquito. More alarming than its daytime feeding habits and rapid bites is the Asian tiger mosquitoes’ proclivity to spreading disease.
The Asian tiger mosquito is known in its native land (Southeast Asia) for spreading diseases such as Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and Chikungunya fever. The tiger mosquito has already been named by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the host for at least five different viruses in the U.S. In February of 2014, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control released an Epidemiological update stating that Chikungunya fever had broken out in the Caribbean on the island of Saint Martin, marking the first autochthonous, or indigenous, outbreak of the disease in the Americas, and named the Asian tiger mosquito as the culprit.
Scientists, medical professionals, and environmentalists are all concerned with the rapidly spreading population of Asian tiger mosquitoes. As of 2013, the pest was reported in 26 U.S. states, ranging from Florida, to Texas, to Illinois, to Pennsylvania, and even California. People are especially alarmed at the mosquitoes ability to spread Chikungunya fever in the U.S., a painful disease that attacks the joints and muscles and has no known treatment or cure.
A breakout in San Gabriel Valley in California in 2011 caused alarm after a man reported frequently being bitten by mosquitoes during the day. Asian tiger mosquitoes were first accidentally introduced to the region in 2001 in the cargo of “Lucky Bamboo” plants. Before the outbreak, tiger mosquitoes were already well known on the west coast for causing breakouts of Dengue fever in Hawaii.
Experts are doing their best to warn and teach residents in affected areas and elsewhere how to prevent the further spread of the mosquitoes, but many pundits are worried that the mosquitoes have already gained too much momentum in their spread and that the U.S. needs to prepare for more possible outbreaks.
How do you protect yourself? Start by removing any standing water on or near your property and stay vigilant during the rainy seasons. Wear long sleeves and pants when outside and apply bug spray periodically.
Keep an out for the striped insects and report them to your local CDC right away if spotted!
