With the arrival of summer, even the mosquitoes become part of our daily life. In addition to the annoying sting, these insects can pose a danger to our health, as they are vectors of various pathogens that cause infectious diseases, such as Dengue, West Nile and Chikungunya. For this reason, it is important to monitor their presence in our area and to concentrate efforts for disinfestation interventions in places where there are higher mosquito densities.
To help in the fight against invasive mosquitoes, it has been developed a free app called Mosquito Alert. Thanks to the photographic reports of citizens, this application helps us to keep track of the different species present on the Italian territory, identifying the areas at greatest risk. The citizen science project Mosquito Alert Italia, coordinated by the Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases of the La Sapienza University of Romein collaboration with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Venezie, Muse (Science Museum of Trento) and the University of Bologna, has seen great success since its inception in 2021. In two years , the app was downloaded by over 18,000 people who sent over 8,000 photos from 103 out of 107 Italian provinces.
Through the analysis of the photos, the researchers were able to observe that most of the mosquitoes belong to the most widespread species in Italy, the common mosquito Culex pipiens, and the famous tiger mosquito, the invasive species Aedes albopictus, which has been present in the area for more than 30 years. However, users have also submitted images of rarer species, such as the Korean mosquito (Aedes koreicus) and the Japanese one (Aedes japonicus), which are booming especially in the north of the peninsula.
Thanks to the reports sent via Mosquito Alert, the researchers were also able to understand which species of mosquitoes are more likely to bite outdoors and which indoors, providing useful information for planning disinfestation interventions. To raise awareness of the health risks associated with mosquito bites, it is important to promote the use of the app in universities, museums, schools and municipalities. In this way, it will be possible to further increase the number of users and obtain a greater number of reports. Furthermore, it is essential to make the population aware of the need to avoid offering mosquitoes places suitable for reproduction, such as tubs, bins, and water-filled saucers, which are perfect for the growth and development of the larvae of these insects.