This interactive map tells you what types of mosquitoes there are, where they are located and what diseases they transmit.
Summer is synonymous with heat, swimming pools, beaches, terraces, air conditioning, fans, and, unfortunately, mosquitoes. These insects sneak into our homes at night and leave us with nasty bites. However, despite the existence of devices to protect us from these insects , sometimes they don't have the desired effect.
As surprising as it may seem, different types of mosquitoes can enter our homes, from the Asian tiger mosquito to the yellow fever mosquito. However, it's important to clarify that not all types of mosquitoes are present in the same country. To corroborate this information, there is an interactive map showing all the mosquitoes in the world . This helps combat the diseases they transmit.
This free map, called MosquitoDashboard.org, contains information on different mosquito species , their various developmental stages, and their locations. It also incorporates more than half a million images processed by artificial intelligence to identify, for example, whether it's an adult mosquito or a larval mosquito.
All the data provided by this map is essential for disease prevention, as it provides "additional eyes" to monitor insects on a scale that would be impossible with traditional capture methods.
Ryan Carney, creator of the map and researcher at the University of South Florida (United States), tells the EFE agency that the map "can also help defeat invasive species" , because the arrival of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito to the African continent has produced an upsurge in the Malaria, a disease that can appear ten days after being bitten by a transmitting mosquito – its symptoms include high fever, headaches, bone pain, vomiting, and body tremors.
The same group of researchers at the University of South Florida has also created artificial intelligence to track the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue.
Thanks to this technology, experts can halt the spread of Anopheles stephensi , a mosquito species highly efficient at transmitting malaria and recently introduced into African urban environments. Currently, this innovation is being deployed in Nigeria and Cameroon, but it could reach other cities to anticipate, contain, and eradicate infectious diseases on a global scale.
Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest technology news straight to your inbox.
20minutos
