World Mosquito Day (Podcast)

Today, 20^th of August 2020, it is World Mosquito Day. A special day for Care Plus^® and in ‘honor’ of this day we launch our fourth podcast. It is a very lively and inspiring podcast hosted by Arnoud Aalbersberg and with our guest Bart Knols (vector biologist). He has over 30 years of experience and doing specifically research on mosquitos, Malaria and Dengue. Therefore he is our go to person to talk about the latest status and his experience in the field. It is a refreshing interview about the deadliest animal of the world.

The podcast starts with Malaria and later on more local issues related to mosquitos are discussed.

How to bring Malaria to zero cases?

With over 120 years of research, still one of the key questions remains how to dismiss Malaria.

It is a fact that a bednet (mosquito net) is still the primary tool in controlling Malaria around the world. Such an easy item that enables to protect and save so many lives of (young) kids and adults. In order to keep the bednet as an important prevention tool, two steps have to be taken:

1. Make sure people have access to the impregnated nets and replace the impregnated nets after they have been used for 3 years
2. Make sure people are using the net correctly without using the net for other purposes

Covid-19 and Malaria

In the interview the link between Malaria and Covid-19 arises a couple of times. For example, in case of a drop in Malaria cases and less immediate visibility of the consequences of the disease, people start acting less out of precautions and prevention. Comparable behavior can be currently seen with Covid-19. With decreased risk, attention to this serious issue is lost as well, risking a revival that could have been prevented with a continuous attention and prevention.

Moreover, reflections on the “it is not in my backyard” proposition are addressed, discussing questions on what we can do in Europe and how to join efforts to help African countries with still many (child) deaths due to Malaria.
Will for instance a vaccine help to eradicate Malaria?

The rise of the Tiger Mosquito in Europe and the Netherlands

More locally other developments are coming up around mosquitos. Last year the Tiger mosquito was found in the Netherlands. Bart and Arnoud discuss 3 pathways how these mosquitos end up inour backyard.

1. Via transportation of used tires from airplanes, trucks etc that are refurbished and re-used in Europe.
2. Via import of smaller plants, like Lucky bamboo plants.
3. Via people carrying mosquitos accidentally in their caravan, camper of car after their holiday in Southern Europe.

The Tiger Mosquito is extremely powerful in transmitting diseases. In France, the Tiger Mosquito is already a serious issue and as soon as there is an established population of these mosquitoes it is only a matter of time before we will also have local issues with transmittable diseases, like Zika-Virus, Dengue or West-Nile virus. Risk is that there are no vaccins or medicines available for these diseases yet.

Prevention Products

Bart and Arnoud talk about the things we could do to prevent us from getting bitten. For example, think of avoiding water puddles around the house. It sounds so simple, but keep in mind it is not only a big can of water but also small trash, like a beer bottle or plastic around the house that can contain water. It sounds logic, but it is actually hard to educate people about the importance of eliminating these puddles.

Additionally, the two men also discuss new products currently on the market. Vitamines, buttons, Apps and many more. Listen how Bart & Arnoud think about this.

A lot is evolving and Arnoud and Bart have so much knowledge and expertise about mosquitos to share!
Want to know more?

 

Go listen/watch, Enjoy!

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