Seville City Council intensifies control of the mosquito that transmits the West Nile Virus with a €55,000 contract and 16 sampling points. The city has been declared a high-risk area.
Seville City Council has launched a reinforcement of the surveillance of the mosquito that transmits the West Nile Virus, with a €55,000 contract developed by the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC). The programme, framed within the Andalusian Strategic Plan for Vector Surveillance and Control, responds to the declaration of the city as a high-risk area.
The delegate for Public Space, José Lugo, explained that this technical and scientific service allows for constant monitoring of which mosquito species are present and whether they are carriers of the virus. “Following the declaration of Seville as a high-risk area, we have strengthened our programme to anticipate and activate any necessary health alerts as soon as possible,” he stated.
The programme includes active surveillance at least 16 strategic sampling points spread throughout the city. The work is carried out in three phases: searching for larval habitats, capturing adults with BG-Sentinel 2 traps, and the taxonomic identification of species, with special attention to Culex pipiens, the main vector of the virus in Seville.
The samples are preserved at -80ºC and analysed using PCR in an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. If the presence of the virus is detected, the samples are sent to an Official Reference Laboratory for confirmation, following the protocol of the Ministry of Health.
The system also includes emergency sampling in the event of human cases or clinical suspicions. An alert threshold is activated when captures exceed 500 individuals per trap per night, or upon confirmed presence of at-risk species, triggering vector control measures.
“With this reinforcement, Seville has a surveillance system capable of detecting any risk early, allowing us to protect the health of the people of Seville with the utmost diligence,” Lugo concluded.
Additionally, the City Council has intensified disinsection with another contract of €60,000 for pest control. Following the confirmation of a positive case in humans in the municipality, extraordinary treatments against adult mosquitoes are being carried out in parks near the outbreak, as well as larvicides in drains, schools, and educational centres.
In parallel, the City Council and the Official College of Pharmacists of Seville have launched an informative campaign with posters and leaflets in pharmacies. Under the slogan Advice to prevent the transmission of the West Nile virus in Seville, personal and domestic protection measures are being distributed, also through the municipal website, the Seville app, and social media.
Residents in the most affected areas can consult official advice and stay alert for health warnings. Surveillance will continue throughout the mosquito activity season.
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