Analysis of the Arbovirosis Potential Occurrence in Dobrogea, Romania

Climate change creates new challenges for preventing and protecting human health against different diseases that could appear and propagate. The <i>Aedes albopictus</i> mosquito species is an important vector for different diseases like dengue fever or zika. Although this species is not...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Carmen Maftei, Alina Bărbulescu, Sorin Rugina, Cristian Dorin Nastac, Irina Magdalena Dumitru
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:Water
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/3/374
Description
Summary:Climate change creates new challenges for preventing and protecting human health against different diseases that could appear and propagate. The <i>Aedes albopictus</i> mosquito species is an important vector for different diseases like dengue fever or zika. Although this species is not “indigenous” in Europe, its presence is noticed in many countries on the continent. The <i>Ae. albopictus</i> establishment is conditioned by the species’ characteristics and environmental factors. To assess the possible spread of <i>Ae. albopictus</i> in the Dobrogea region (situated in the Southeast of Romania), we conducted the following analysis: (1) Investigation of the current distribution and climatic factors favoring <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i>’ establishment in Europe; (2) Analysis of climate dynamics in Dobrogea in terms of the parameters identified at stage (1); (3) Testing the hypothesis that the climate from Dobrogea favors <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i>’ establishment in the region; (4) Building a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based model of the potential geographic distribution of <i>Ae. albopictus</i> in Dobrogea. Results show that the climate of Dobrogea favors the apparition of the investigated species and its proliferation.
ISSN:2073-4441