The Horn of Africa has got a novel mosquito species in town — and it has the potential to become a major problem if it ’s not parcel out with .
scientist haverecently noticedthat an Asiatic species of mosquito is becoming increasingly common in certain urban environments across East Africa . unluckily , novel research free this workweek has designate that the invasive Asian mosquito species are especially susceptible to local strain of malaria , further highlight the fear that this unwanted visitant could soon spark a rise in urban malaria case in East Africa .
Most malaria case in Africa are cause by the mosquito speciesAnopheles gambiaeandAnopheles funestus , which do as extremely in force transmitter , carrying the parasites from one person to another . In late long time , however , a new mosquito species ofmosquito has invadedparts of East Africa . Anopheles stephensiis the main malaria transmitter in urban India and parts of Asia , but is becoming more and more abundant in towns and cities across Ethiopia , Sudan , and Djibouti . This mintage is not as efficient at diffuse malaria , but it is well - adapt to urban condition as it can easy breed in body of water - storage containers , not just natural organic structure of body of water .
The new inquiry , recently published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journalEmerging Infectious Diseases , has found another distressful facet to this trespassing coinage cropping up in Africa : it is amazingly subject of pluck up local malaria parasite .
The research worker collect a colony ofAn . stephensifrom local water source in Ethiopia and a colony ofAn . arabiensismosquitoes then fed them in the dark with clean blood from patients with malaria . To their surprise , they retrieve a significantly higher proportionality of invasiveAn . stephensimosquitoes became infected with the malaria parasite compared to the nativeAn . arabiensismosquitoes .
" That is why we performed mosquito alimentation experiments with the roue of Ethiopian malaria affected role . This allowed us to ascertain whether the local malaria leech can develop in the raw mosquito , " Teun Bousema , subject area author and Professor of Epidemiology of Tropical Infectious Diseases at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands , said in astatement .
" To our surprisal , the Asian mosquito turned out to be even more susceptible to local malaria parasites than our Ethiopian mosquito colony . This mosquito is likely an extremely effective spreader of the two main coinage of malaria . "
The risk of this new invasive mosquito is not yet clear , but the World Health Organization has sounded the alert bell . In 2019 , it released areportlooking at the potential risk of this invasive Asiatic metal money appear in the Horn of Africa and urge “ immediate activity ” with the aim oftotal elimination of the speciesfrom the invaded arena .
“ An belligerent plan of attack to target this mosquito is now a top anteriority , " concluded Dr Fitsam Tadesse , lead discipline generator from the Radboud Institute for Health Sciences .
" Only if we act quickly can we prevent the spread to other urban domain on the continent . We must target the mosquito larvae in places where they now pass and prevent mosquitoes from spreading over long distances , for deterrent example via airports and seaport . If that fail , the risk of urban malaria will rise in big parts of Africa . "
