Surrounded by
Pereyra Park and the Punta Lara natural reserve
, with the Forest in the heart of the city and a diagram of squares every six blocks, La Plata and its periphery became the
provincial capital of the mosquito.
The invasion that exploded over the weekend in almost the entire AMBA has an epicenter in this region that causes
discomfort, disorders and clouds of insects
that look like images from dystopian movies.
The reasons for the phenomenon have
varied explanations.
They all coincide with a handful of factors that came together for this massive assault by bugs that make people uncomfortable without distinction of neighborhoods, social ranks or housing conditions.
Some certainties.
The municipality of La Plata confirmed through researchers from the Center for Parasitological and Vector Studies, that the invasion that was recorded this weekend corresponds, as in other places, to the so-called "
flood mosquitoes" whose species is Aedes albifasciatus .
They concluded that the long weekend rains - which had
sectors with more than 100 millimeters -
caused water accumulation
in different places and the larvae that hatched there (approximately 7-10 days ago) generated this new invasion.
“Double hatching.
"Larvae that survived last year's drought and those that were raised a little over a month ago,"
the director of the Center for Parasitological and Vector Studies (Cepave) of the UNLP, Victoria Micieli, explained to
Clarín .
“It has been proven that
the eggs of these species can survive up to three years waiting for humid conditions to hatch.
In January they fed and generated new eggs.
"So, new eggs and old eggs hatched at the same time and caused this
great invasion,"
is one of the hypotheses they use at Cepave.
The ecosystem in La Plata is blocked, the mosquitoes already have the deed to the house pic.twitter.com/L6S2FMaRnL
— Flor Dominguez (@florlafotografa) February 19, 2024
Helped, according to experts,
was the increase in humidity, heat and rain
.
For this reason, the situation that has a peak in La Plata also occurs with less or similar intensity in other Buenos Aires districts and in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
As a matter of urgency, the municipality began
weeding,
grass cutting, fumigation and door-to-door awareness work.
This Monday, ground fumigation tasks began in four locations (Los Hornos, City Bell, Gonnet and Ringuelet) and four sectors of the urban area.
The program will continue today, Tuesday.
Repellent is also
delivered to the Ssalud Primary Care Centers (Caps) and the delegations.
The commune manufactures its own anti-mosquito spray in the Medicinal Specialties Laboratory and distributes it free of charge at the CAPS.
They said that 2,000 bottles were delivered
and the production of a new batch is progressing.
The application of the product has a resistance of up to four hours on the skin.
According to Capave's evaluations, the people of La Plata should tolerate this virulent attack
between 10 and 14 days.
They maintain that – just as in the City of Buenos Aires – the species that arrived and colonized the city is Aedes albifasciatus, which
is not a transmitter of dengue.
The municipal Health Secretary, Soledad Fernández, said that in this
“second invasion”
(the first occurred between the end of December and the first days of January) no cases of patient treatment for stings were recorded.
However, and as it is still the season for dengue prevention, the authorities reiterated and disseminated all the prevention measures that are promoted in the campaigns against this disease that is transmitted by another species of this insect.
The images that neighbors uploaded on social networks are impressive.
Like an attack that is impossible to stop, the bugs flood walls, doors, patios and squares.
Clouds of mosquitoes paint the outdoor videos gray and people from La Plata are seen slapping each other in the streets, as if they had blades instead of arms.
La Plata (Correspondent)
S.C.