Thursday, 28 January 2016 14:24

The Canary Islands: Zika & Disease-Free Despite The Heat

The mosquito that transmits Zika virus doesn't live in the Canary Islands The mosquito that transmits Zika virus doesn't live in the Canary Islands Wikipedia

Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands may be hot and sunny but they are free of all infectious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya and  the zika virus.

UPDATE: In December 2017, a small number of Aedes aegypti mosquitos, which can transmit Dengue, Zika and Yellow Fever, were detected in Fuerteventura. Fortunately, they were disease free and the island's biological control unit expects to have them eradicated before the start of 2018. The Canary Islands have a thorough insect monitoring program and no native disease-carrying mosquitos. 

There are several reasons why the Canaries are disease-free...

The Canary Islands are subtropical rather than tropical. This means that it is too cool and dry for many tropical mosquitos and the diseases they carry to survive.

The mosquito species that transmits most tropical diseases (including Zika virus) doesn't live in the Canary Islands there have never been any cases of Canarians or tourists catching a mosquito-borne disease in the Canary Islands from the native mozzies.

Another factor that protects the islands is that it is dry most of the time so there are no puddles for mosquitos to breed in. While tropical destinations get regular rain, it doesn't rain often enough in the Canary Islands for puddles. 

Also, the area of Africa closest to the Canaries is very dry so mosquitos don't blow over.

You don't ever see it, but Canarian airports also have sophisticated trapping systems designed to catch any exotic mozzies that hide away inside aeroplanes. Since most flights to the islands come in from Europe, the risk of exotic mosquitos escaping is low anyway. With Zika virus spreading in South America, precautions in the Canaries have been stepped up just in case.

As a further precaution, all the reservoirs and water tanks in rural areas are stocked with little fish called mosquito fish which eat mosquito larva.

If you are sensitive to mosquito bites, then it is sensible to take precautions in the Canary Islands as the local mozzies do bite. Local supermarkets sell excellent plugins that emit a smell that mosquitos hate; They cost about 5 euros for the device and enough liquid to last for 30 nights. Outdoors there isn't much you can do except apply a mild mosquito repellent (one containing DEET is most effective). 

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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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