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How dangerous is the tiger mosquito's bite?

Asian tiger mosquitos are known to carry deadly diseases

The insect can bite dozens of times per minute

(SOUNDBITE) (German) BIOLOGIST DOREEN WERNER, SAYING:"The tiger mosquito can transmit more than 200 different diseases, for instance the dengue fever virus, the chikungunya virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus - meaning a range of pathogens which cause a majority of diseases as opposed to our local species."

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are on the rise

Tiger mosquitoes have spread across parts of Europe and southwestern Germany

due to climate change and globalization

(SOUNDBITE) (German) BIOLOGIST DOREEN WERNER, SAYING:"Especially in the case of transmitting the virus climate change plays a rather large role, because higher temperatures make a virus replication within the mosquito more likely and with it the time span for transmitting the pathogen shorter. Meaning, both factors are important, firstly globalization, and secondly climate change."

(SOUNDBITE) (German) BIOLOGIST DOREEN WERNER, SAYING:

"Iif we react quickly then we have a chance to stop the mosquitoes from settling because the radius of action of this mosquito is relatively low – some 300 meters. And it is possible to eliminate all water reservoirs in this area, and, therefore, eliminate the mosquito."