Van Bortel, W.,  Deblauwe, I.,  Rebolledo, J.,  Smitz, N. & Müller, R. 2025. ‘Mosquito-borne diseases in Belgium: a real threat or just a hype?’. Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences. URL: https://www.kaowarsom.be/documents/PDF%20BULLETIN/BORTEL.pdf  (PR).

Article in a scientific Journal / Article in a Journal

In Europe several local transmission events of mosquito-borne diseases were reported recently. Similarly, in Belgium mosquito-borne transmission events are likely to occur in the near future. Hence, this paper aims to assess the mosquito-borne disease threats in Belgium focusing on three scenarios assessing the risk of autochthonous transmission of (1) arboviruses by exotic Aedes mosquitoes, (2) malaria, and (3) West Nile virus. Based on our assessment it is clear that the situation regarding mosquito-borne disease risk is changing in Belgium and that mosquito-borne diseases need to be considered as a public health threat.