The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is conducting enhanced surveillance and trapping activities after finding invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and larvae in east London residential properties. This marks the first time the species has been identified breeding in the UK, though it is the fourth detection in recent years.
Control measures have been implemented to destroy the larvae, and the area will continue to be monitored. Dr Jolyon Medlock, Head of Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology at UKHSA, stated that while Aedes aegypti can transmit diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus in other countries, the risk to the public from this finding is assessed as very low. There is no evidence of human infections or that the mosquitoes or larvae have been found in nearby public areas.
Dr Medlock believes these mosquitoes are accidental importations, potentially hitchhiking in vehicles, baggage, or imported plants. He noted that the species is not established in the UK and cannot survive long-term in the typical UK climate, which is too cold overall. However, he expects to see continued incursions of invasive mosquitoes and increased reports of their survival in a warming climate.