Expert explains the differences between dengue mosquitoes and mosquitoes | National newspaper

At this time of year, heat and rain not only help the breeding of dengue mosquitoes, but also those known as mosquitoes or mosquitoes.

Not every mosquito flying around the house is dengue. When in doubt, Public Services Assistant Angela María de Souza Barbosa tries to protect herself from everyone.

He says: “Alcohol repels and perfumes of all kinds, and its scent repel mosquitoes.” “You have to use everything, right.”

Her daughter, Leticia Souza Barbosa, an access controller, has already contracted dengue fever and is also worried.

“At my house, we don't know if [o mosquito] Whether it's dengue fever, or mosquitoes. Because it's a lot. “It's been full for a few days,” Leticia says.

Only Aedes aegypti causes dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. It is black with white stripes on its legs. Breeding generally takes place in clean, stagnant water.

Another brown mosquito is Culex, a common mosquito also called Morisuka, which breeds in dirty water. It is associated with the transmission of filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis. The disease, which according to the Ministry of Health, is in the process of being eliminated as a public health problem. The last case was in 2017 in Recife.

In the past five years, the Culex team has also been responsible for seven confirmed cases of West Nile fever in the states of Piaui and Tocantins.

In São Paulo, health workers are taking measures to combat both types of mosquitoes.

In everyday life, it is not always possible to distinguish one from the other just by looking. Because from a distance the two look similar. They are about the same size, and when they bite, they can cause itchy skin. But there are some differences: Unlike regular mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti tends to attack more during the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon.

There is no point in following the sound: they both produce a buzzing sound. It's just that we're noticing more about mosquitoes.

“The sound of their wings flapping, the vibration of their wings, they all make, because it allows them to move. You only notice it when it is very close to you,” says Rosa Tobaqui, a scientific researcher at the Pasteur Institute.

When the Aedes fly down, they tend to bite their legs more, so we don't hear the buzz. The mosquito has nocturnal habits and appears immediately when sleeping.

“It only appears at night, guess the person goes to sleep and then it appears,” says Angela.

According to scientists, the extreme heat caused by climate change has led to increased mosquito breeding. Accumulation of garbage in cities is another factor that favors proliferation.

“In the city there is a lot of plastic, garbage, plastic, boxes, water tanks, swimming pools, abandoned houses, many houses without maintenance and even the roofs of buildings, all of which are exploited by mosquitoes and reproduce in large quantities.” says José Eduardo Levy, a researcher at the USP Institute of Tropical Medicine and supervisor of research and development at Dasa.

Owner Maria Leni Oliveira de Lima doesn't want to see any mosquitoes around.

“Where do you see standing water?” the reporter asks the retired woman. “There are two boards over here, full of animals like this, with their larvae…” Leni answers.

Reporter: “Oh, did you see that with the worms?”
Lenny: “Yesterday, I made the boy clean up. Yesterday, I made him take it out, right.”
Reporter: “And do you know what you should do to avoid mosquitoes at home?”
Lenny: “Yes, don't leave standing water, don't leave plants in empty spaces full of water, things like that.”