Mosquitos

Vector control: multiple strategies to combat vectors

Updated on 06/01/2021

Keywords : Vector control (VC), Mosquitos, Insecticides, Biocides

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and Zika are responsible for more than a million deaths worldwide each year. They are transmitted by arthropod vectors. There is usually no vaccine nor any specific treatment against these diseases, and the main solution is therefore to control the insects that carry them. As part of its work to examine marketing authorisation applications, ANSES assesses the efficacy of biocides (insecticides and acaricides) and the risks associated with their use. It also funds research into other means of controlling insect vectors.

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Learn all about vectors and the issues associated with their control

Published on 06/01/2021

Keywords : Vecteurs, Vector control (VC), Ticks, Mosquitos

Lyme disease, Zika, chikungunya, dengue... Recent years have seen a re-emergence of the pathogens responsible for these diseases, which are transmitted by insects and other arthropods. On Thursday 17 December 2020, ANSES is hosting a scientific webinar on the new prospects for controlling these species, known as vectors. The Agency is taking this opportunity to explain exactly what these pathogen vectors are: not only tiger mosquitoes and ticks, but other vectors of diseases specifically affecting animals or plants. What is ANSES doing in the areas of expert appraisal and research to address these health issues? All the answers are in this dossier on the subject.

The tiger mosquito

Published on 05/10/2020

Keywords : Tiger mosquito, Vecteurs, Mosquitos, Vector control (VC)

Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) has adapted to many different environments, particularly urban ones, colonising a vast array of containers (vases, pots, rainwater collection tanks, gutters, etc.) in which it lays its eggs. It is an opportunistic anthropophilic species which likes to feed on humans.

The species is now established in more than 100 countries on all seven continents. This meteoric expansion, mainly linked to international trade (especially in tyres), has made it one of the world's most invasive species due to its ability to adapt to regions with cold winters. In metropolitan France, the tiger mosquito is currently found in around 60 French départements (in French).

Tiger mosquitos can transmit viruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika to humans. They are therefore subject to reinforced surveillance by the French authorities, in particular through the Signalement-moustique (“mosquito alert”) website (in French).