© dpa
Around 100 suspected cases of the Asian tiger mosquito have been reported to the Mitte district office so far this year.
"We receive reports from all districts," says chief medical officer Lukas Murajda. However, the suspected sightings and findings have not been confirmed. "We haven't found any tiger mosquitoes yet this season."
The traps that Murajda's team of eight has set up at several locations in Berlin have not yet caught any tiger mosquitoes either. "But that doesn't mean they're gone." The Mitte district office is responsible for tiger mosquito monitoring in the state of Berlin and advises the districts when tiger mosquitoes appear. Murajda and his colleagues set up traps in places with suspected cases and check them.
According to the doctor, there is currently an established tiger mosquito population in Berlin, which is located in Treptow-Köpenick. This means that the animals have been observed at this location for several years. There are populations under observation at four other locations, one in Pankow, one in Neukölln and two in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. However, Murajda explains that it is always just a few animals. "We don't have an acute problem yet because the mosquitoes are not yet spreading infections."
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) originates from the tropics and can transmit various pathogens such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. So far, there have been no known transmissions on German soil. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the mosquitoes are widespread in Germany in Baden-Württemberg and the Rhine-Main region of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as sporadically in Bavaria, Thuringia, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia.
People often confuse other mosquitoes with the black and white patterned tiger mosquito, says Murajda. Many people mistakenly think that the tiger mosquito is large, when in fact it is smaller than some native mosquito species. How else can you recognize them? "An important difference between the normal mosquito and the tiger mosquito is that the tiger mosquito is active during the day." In addition, unlike other species, the tiger mosquito often bites several times in succession.
In order to find out more about the occurrence in Berlin, the office relies on the help of Berliners. Anyone who believes they have been bitten by a tiger mosquito should definitely report it, asks Murajda. It is also possible to send photos of mosquito specimens by e-mail to vektormonitoring@ba-mitte.berlin.de or to send the mosquito specimen in a small container such as a matchbox to the health department in Mitte. The season is not over yet, says Murajda. The animals could well still be out and about until the end of September. The search for the black and white animals continues.