The City Council of Seville intensifies disinsection against the West Nile mosquito and closes Guadaíra Park and Princes Park after the first human case in Tablada.
The City Council of Seville has launched this week an extraordinary reinforcement of treatments against the mosquito that transmits the West Nile Virus (WNV) after the first positive human case was confirmed in the capital, located in the Tablada area. The work includes spraying against adult mosquitoes in two parks in the city, which will require their temporary closure.
Guadaíra Park will remain closed this Wednesday, August 12, and Princes Park will close this Thursday, the 13th, to allow for the application of chemical treatments. The Public Space delegate, José Lugo, explained that these actions are in addition to the periodic treatments being carried out in Prado de San Sebastián, Infanta Elena Park, and Princes Park itself.
“We always prioritise biological treatments against larvae, which are the most respectful of other wildlife and the environment,” Lugo pointed out, highlighting that chemical products are reserved for “situations that really require it, as outlined by the protocols of the Junta de Andalucía, with which we work in a coordinated manner.”
These actions are part of the Municipal Plan against West Nile Virus Fever, reinforced after the Junta de Andalucía declared Seville a high-risk area. The vector control contract, endowed with 60,000 euros, includes larvicidal treatments in drains, breeding areas, and schools, with special attention to the neighbourhoods with the highest incidence.
Scientific Monitoring with CSIC
In parallel, the City Council has intensified monitoring of mosquito populations through a contract of 55,000 euros framed within the I Andalusian Strategic Plan for the Surveillance and Control of Vectors (PEVA). It is executed by the Doñana Biological Station, part of CSIC, with sampling at least in 16 strategic points in the city.
The programme works in three phases: searching for larval habitats, capturing adults with BG-Sentinel 2 traps —which simulate human breathing with CO2— and taxonomic identification of species, with special attention to Culex pipiens, the main vector of the virus in Seville. Samples are frozen at -80ºC and analysed by PCR in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory; if positive, they are sent to an Official Reference Laboratory for confirmation.
Informational Campaign in Pharmacies
The City Council, in collaboration with the Official College of Pharmacists of Seville, has launched the campaign Advice to Prevent the Transmission of the West Nile Virus in Seville. A total of 400 posters and 20,000 leaflets will be distributed in all pharmacies in the city with personal and domestic protection measures.
Additionally, the City Council disseminates recommendations through its digital channels: website, Seville app, social media, and digital mupis. Residents in affected areas should take extra precautions at dusk and eliminate standing water in homes, as this is where the mosquito breeds.
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