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The tiger mosquito has been detected in 156 Spanish municipalities since 2023

Imatge d’arxiu d’ús de la plataforma Mosquito Alert

Citizen collaboration, through the ‘Mosquito Alert’ platform, was crucial for detections. The activation of a new artificial intelligence algorithm within ‘Mosquito’ enabled species identification in less than five minutes, automating the analysis of images submitted by citizens and triggering alerts. The ‘Mosquito Alert’ initiative, promoted and coordinated by the CEAB-CSIC, CREAF, UPF, and ICREA, is part of the Ministry of Health’s National Plan for the Prevention, Surveillance, and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases.

  • The Mosquito Alert initiative has launched a new system based on artificial intelligence to improve the detection and monitoring of invasive species. This system will provide real-time information to the entomological surveillance of vector mosquitoes, coordinated by the Ministry of Health, thus helping to establish Spain as a European leader in this field.
  • The new artificial intelligence algorithm, AIMA, enables the identification of invasive species in under five minutes, automating the analysis of images sent by citizens and triggering alerts to health authorities if detections occur in previously unrecorded areas.
  • Citizen collaboration has been key, with over 27,000 observations received in the past two years, strengthening the response capacity to emerging risks such as dengue or West Nile virus. Since 2023, Mosquito Alert has enabled the detection of the tiger mosquito in 156 municipalities, thereby enhancing surveillance and early detection across the territory.

In light of the rapid spread of the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the recent outbreaks of dengue and West Nile virus in Spain, the Ministry of Health and the citizen science initiative Mosquito Alert have strengthened the entomological surveillance system through the incorporation of a new version of the artificial intelligence algorithm in the app.

This system allows for faster, more accurate, and more coordinated detection of species of public health concern, integrating citizen participation, automated analysis, and expert verification.

The implementation of AIMA has facilitated the confirmation of tiger mosquito presence in 156 Spanish municipalities since 2023. Additionally, in 10 municipalities in the north (Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country), the Japanese mosquito (Aedes japonicus), another invasive species of public health relevance, has been detected.

The AIMA system automatically processes images of mosquitoes sent by the public via the Mosquito Alert app. Every four minutes, the algorithm analyzes received observations, identifies the species when possible, and replies to the contributor in less than five minutes. Once classified, these images are integrated into the public Mosquito Alert map.

If the detected species is found in a previously undocumented area, AIMA generates an alert. This alert is managed by the project’s scientific team and sent to a network of experts for validation. Once verified, it is reported to the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), which informs the corresponding regional health authorities.

New Aedes albopictus detections in 2023 and 2024. Source: Mosquito Alert

Balancing automation and human review

Citizen participation enabled the collection of over 19,000 observations in 2023, nearly 10,000 in 2024, and more than 4,600 so far in 2025. This volume of information presents a management challenge that AIMA helps address through an initial automated screening. In the case of the tiger mosquito, the system correctly classifies 55 out of every 100 received images. Of these, 25 reach a confidence level higher than 98% and are published directly on the map. The remaining 75 undergo expert review, maintaining a balance between technological efficiency and scientific accuracy.

Additionally, the AIMA system is trained to recognize other medically relevant species not yet present in Spain, such as Aedes aegypti, the main vector of dengue and yellow fever globally. It also distinguishes between Aedes japonicus and Aedes koreicus, two invasive species in Europe, and has begun classifying native Culex mosquitoes, vectors of West Nile virus, thereby expanding the scope of entomological surveillance.

Citizen participation: a key element

The Mosquito Alert warning system is based on citizen science and has been integrated into the National Plan for the Prevention, Surveillance, and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases by the Ministry of Health for the past two years. Each photo submitted helps map the spread of invasive species, complementing traditional sampling methods.

In 2023, 165 alerts concerning invasive species were confirmed in Spain, with an additional 92 alerts in 2024. This human-machine collaboration has made it possible to update the presence status of the tiger mosquito in 156 municipalities (with multiple alerts potentially recorded in the same municipality) and the Japanese mosquito in 10 others in northern Spain (Asturias, Cantabria, and the Basque Country).

With the arrival of summer, citizens are once again encouraged to download the Mosquito Alert app and actively participate in surveillance by submitting mosquito photos or bite reports, thereby strengthening the response capacity of the healthcare system.

 

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