Mosquito Alert: An App to Notify You of the Presence of Tiger Mosquitoes

Mosquito Alert is a citizen science project supported by the CSIC Blanes Advanced Research Centre, CREAF, the Catalan ICREA Institute and the environmental association Xatrac. Through the app, citizens can report the presence of mosquitoes, attaching photos.

Early detection of these mosquitoes is possible thanks to an alert system that combines the speed of artificial intelligence (AI) with human precision, provided by the community of entomologists ReNED (National Network for Digital Entomology). Each image received is processed taking into account its location and the known distribution of the identified species, and when a species is detected in a municipality where its presence was not known, CCAES is automatically notified, informing and urging the autonomous communities to take appropriate action. decisions.

“21% of tiger mosquito detections in Spain since 2014 have been made thanks to citizens. From a scientific point of view, we have demonstrated that citizen science is both effective in detecting invasive mosquitoes and efficient, being 8 times more cost-effective than traditional surveillance. For this reason, it is an excellent complement to traditional surveillance methods,” explained Frederic Bartumeus, co-director of Mosquito Alert and researcher at the Blanes Advanced Research Center (CEAB – CSIC).

If it bites you, let us know! New call to action

Last year, under the slogan “If it bites you, tell us!”, the use of the application was promoted, as envisaged in the National Plan. As a result, 96 new municipalities were identified in which the presence of the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) was detected for the first time. An example of this success is the first detection of the tiger mosquito in Galicia. Effective coordination between Mosquito Alert, the Xunta de Galicia and the Galician Vector Surveillance Network made it possible to confirm the presence of the tiger mosquito on the ground in less than 24 hours.

“The massive citizen response resulted in more than 17,956 mosquito image reports and 28,596 national bite notifications in 2023,” added John R.B. Palmer, co-director of Mosquito Alert and Pompeu Fabra University.

Given the success achieved, this year’s goal is to consolidate and expand the Mosquito Alert user community. “Broader participation will allow us to more effectively monitor the spread of tiger mosquitoes, facilitating a flexible and rapid response and implementation of appropriate measures,” said Lucia García San Miguel of CCAES.

The “If you get bitten, tell us!” campaign information materials are available on the Mosquito Alert website, so any interested person or institution can download them and join the initiative.

National Plan for the Control of Vector-Borne Diseases

The Mosquito Alert project was one of the main participants in the First Training Conference on the National Vector-borne Disease Control Plan held at the Ministry of Health and organized by the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES).

The conference provided an opportunity to detail the content of the Plan, its various sections, and highlighted the consolidation of citizen science as a fundamental element. In addition, a call for citizen participation was made, promoting the use of Mosquito Alert for the second year in a row for surveillance and early detection of disease-carrying mosquitoes, with the aim of repeating the achievements of the previous season.

Problems associated with the rise of mosquito-borne diseases

In 2024, there has been a significant increase in dengue cases worldwide, particularly in the Americas, where WHO has already recorded more than 7.5 million cases. In Europe, 2023 was a record year for imported cases since surveillance began in 2008. Facing what is expected to be a challenging summer, entomological surveillance is critical, especially given the large number of intercontinental movements heading to Europe.

During the day, in addition to promoting the use of the Mosquito Alert system to report bites and facilitating research into areas where there is greater interaction between people and mosquitoes, the importance of raising awareness of personal protective measures was highlighted.

In this context, the importance of using repellents, installing mosquito nets at home and eliminating pools of water where mosquitoes can breed was emphasized.

With regard to international mobility, the travel community, especially those visiting areas with a high risk of dengue, is strongly advised to review health advice before and after travel. Upon return to Spain, it is important to closely monitor for symptoms of dengue fever, avoid mosquito bites and seek medical attention if symptoms appear within fifteen days of return.