France, March 22 -- Health authorities in the northern region of Normandy have recorded the presence of tiger mosquitoes - an invasive species that is now ubiquitous in mainland France. The biting insects, native to Asia, can carry viruses including dengue, Zika and chikungunya.

The discovery comes from the results of fieldwork conducted in the Seine-Maritime department in September 2023, which shows the northward progression of the mosquito in France.

"Normandy had until now been the last mainland French region in which the mosquito had not settled," Normandy's regional health agencysaid on Tuesday.

The presence of Aedes albopictus was first recorded in France in 2004, and has since spread throughout the country. The mosquitoes were p...