The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894), a vector of dengue, chikungunya and zika, reaches Portugal

Abstract

The mosquito Aedes albopictus is here reported for the first time in Portugal, from the south of the country, at least 240km west of the nearest known observation in Spain. A population of more than fifty specimens was spotted within a suburban garden over seven days of survey. As an important vector of Human affecting zoonoses such as dengue, chikungunya and yellow-fever, the presence of this mosquito in Portugal now enhances the outbreak chances for such diseases.