A malaria mosquito from India is increasingly emerging in urban areas in Ethiopia. This has been shown by research by the Nijmegen Radboudumc and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Addis Abeba.
The larvae of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito were regularly found in clean water containers in cities. Because the new variant carried local malaria parasites, it can actively spread malaria.
Normally, the mosquitoes mainly reproduce in the countryside. The water supply there is a lot less hygienic. However, the Indian mosquito thrives in the cities in clean water tanks, container and water, research in the city of Awash Sebat Kilo showed. Mosquito traps near and in houses were also often hit.
Fight aggressively
As a result, the mosquito could become a major threat to urban areas in Africa, say the Ethiopian and Dutch researchers. Two years ago, the World Health Organization warned WHO about the spread of the mosquito. The Radboudumc and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute are now arguing for an aggressive approach to the mosquito to prevent it from spreading across the rest of Africa.
In Africa, malaria kills about 400,000 people every year. That makes it one of the greatest infectious diseases of our time.
–
