Mosquito numbers rise in Cyprus as heat and rain create breeding sites

Persistently high temperatures and recent rainfall have created favourable breeding conditions for mosquitoes across Cyprus, while monitoring has shown their numbers increasing over the past three years, the health services said, as reported by Cyprus Mail.

The warning comes as Cyprus has recorded 14 cases of West Nile virus this year, a disease transmitted by the common Culex mosquito. Health ministry health services official Irodotos Irodotou told the Cyprus Mail that the combination of high temperatures throughout much of the year and recent rainfall had led to the creation of more mosquito breeding sites.

West Nile virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito, which acquires the virus by feeding on infected birds. Humans and mammals are considered dead-end hosts because they do not develop high enough levels of the virus in their blood to pass it back to uninfected mosquitoes.

Health services have been carrying out mosquito-control operations since the 1950s, when malaria was still present in Cyprus. Treatments are applied to rivers and other breeding areas, with substances targeting mosquitoes at the larval stage.

The mosquito picture has changed in recent years with the arrival of Aedes species. Aedes aegypti has so far been identified only in Larnaca, while Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is now found across Cyprus. Both can transmit diseases including dengue fever, though Irodotou stressed that the presence of mosquitoes capable of carrying a disease does not mean the disease itself is circulating in Cyprus. Measures are taken whenever a case requiring intervention is identified, including following detection of the virus in a horse.

Authorities have held a meeting with municipalities to better coordinate mosquito-control measures. The arrival of Aedes has also changed the nuisance experienced by the public, as Aedes bites during the day as well as in the evening. Irodotou advised residents to remove standing water around their homes, check drains, empty or cover barrels, check plant pots and containers, and ensure unused swimming pools do not become breeding grounds. For protection against bites, he recommended mosquito screens, nets, fans and insect repellents.