Opinion – Xylella fastidiosa situation in Spain

As it was been widely reported, Xylella fastidiosa has been detected on the islands of Majorca and Ibiza in Spain. Although details are still not available, there is one point of concern we would like to raise based on an article in a major Spanish newspaper today, El Pais (read here, in Spanish). The article covers some of the available information, but also includes significant factual errors. For example, it suggests that mosquitoes are insect vectors of the bacterium.

It is our opinion that effective policy to control and manage the emergence of X. fastidiosa in Europe will depend on science-based evidence. Although it is expected that journalists would be educated on topics they are covering, it is clear that is not always the case (see case of outbreak in Apulia, Italy). Scientists and Academic Societies in Europe must step up, despite potential discomfort, to educate the media as well as the population in areas where X. fastidiosa has been detected. Only with accurate facts, rather than alternative facts, will efforts to manage this pathogen have a chance of success.
RPPA/AHP
Opinion – Xylella fastidiosa situation in Spain