What exactly was found in Mogán?
On 6 October 2026 the Canary Islands health authority confirmed the detection of Aedes aegypti larvae in a flat in the centre of Mogán. The investigation was triggered by a report of unusual mosquito bites from a person who contacted the surveillance system.
Specialists from the Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the University of La Laguna (IUETSPC-ULL) and the Gran Canaria health area inspected the property. The medical entomology laboratory of the IUETSPC-ULL identified the larvae as Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito.
Adult specimens of the invasive species Aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito, had already been confirmed in Motor Grande on 1 October 2026. The two locations are in different parts of the same municipality. This is the first time that both invasive Aedes species have been recorded in a single municipality in the Canary Islands.
How great is the risk for visitors and residents?
The detection of the mosquitoes does not mean that dengue, chikungunya or Zika viruses are present in Mogán. Both species can transmit various arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses.
According to the Director-General for Public Health, José Díaz Flores, an Aedes mosquito can bite 30 to 40 times per hour and cause severe swelling. The health authority says the tiger mosquito bites mainly during the day, especially at dawn and dusk.
According to the Directorate-General for Public Health, 24 episodes of invasive mosquitoes have been recorded in the Canary Islands since 2017. The authorities say they have so far been controlled through early detection and rapid action.
What are the authorities doing now?
The health authority has activated the surveillance protocol. Several types of traps have been placed in the flat and its surroundings, and inspections and sampling have been stepped up. The aim is to establish the spatial spread.
For the Aedes albopictus detection site, the protocol provides for additional traps, more frequent sampling and cleaning and fumigation work. In the case of Aedes aegypti detections, investigation areas with radii of 200 and 500 metres are also set up.
Public Health, the University of La Laguna and the Ayuntamiento de Mogán (municipal council) are coordinating cleaning, control and information work. This includes epidemiological surveys, the removal of possible breeding sites and, where infestation is confirmed, treatment of the affected buildings.
What should visitors and residents do themselves?
The health authority recommends removing standing water and turning over empty containers outdoors. According to the authority, even a bottle cap can become a breeding site, because the females need small accumulations of water for their larvae to develop.
Plant pot saucers should be filled with sand or emptied and cleaned weekly. Water in vases and animal drinking bowls should be changed daily. Water containers should be covered.
Swimming pools should be chlorinated and the water circulated daily. Cleaning drains and air-conditioning drip trays also helps to prevent breeding.
Suspected mosquitoes or unusually severe reactions to bites can be reported with a photo, location and telephone number to [email protected].
What is still open?
It is not yet clear how Aedes aegypti reached Mogán. The authorities are investigating a possibly isolated, accidental introduction through materials that could contain eggs. No exact completion or all-clear date has been published.
Additional traps, more frequent checks and the analysis of samples should first show whether the mosquito has spread beyond the property affected so far. The reports of bites and mosquitoes received so far for Aedes aegypti are limited to the property that triggered the investigation.
The Canary Islands entomological surveillance system has been in place at ports and airports since 2013.
What does this mean for everyday life in Mogán?
According to the available official information, there are no announced closures, travel bans, new charges or special entry requirements for Mogán.
The current episodes in Mogán remain surveillance cases. Permanent establishment has not been confirmed. The authorities stress that the 24 episodes recorded since 2017 have so far been controlled.
For residents, second-home owners, landlords, hotels and visitors, the main message is: stay alert, remove breeding sites in your own surroundings and report suspected mosquitoes. The authorities are relying on public cooperation to locate specimens and eliminate breeding sites.