The larvae of Anopheles stephensi – India’s most important mosquito vector in malaria – are now ‘abundantly’ present in places in Africa, said researchers from Radboud University Medical Center and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute of Ethiopia. Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectious pathogens between humans or from animals to humans.
This mosquito species first appeared in Africa a few years ago. This invader is now “abundantly present” in water containers in cities in Ethiopia – and is very susceptible to local strains of malaria, researchers said.
Malaria, transmitted by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes, is both a preventable and treatable disease – yet 409,000 people died from it in 2019.
Researchers have investigated the spread of local malaria parasites or whether the mosquitoes pose a health risk.
“To our surprise, the Asian mosquito appears to be even more susceptible to local malaria parasites than our Ethiopian mosquito colony. This mosquito appears to be an extremely effective spreader of the two main species of malaria,” said Teun Bousema, professor of epidemiology. of tropical infectious diseases at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, in a statement.
“We need to target the mosquito larvae in places where they now occur, and prevent mosquitoes from spreading over long distances, for example via airports and ports. If they fail, the risk of urban malaria will increase in large parts of Africa,” the study the study. Fitsam Tadesse, a doctoral student in the department of medical microbiology at Radboud University Medical Center, said.
The findings of the study were ‘significant’, said Jo Lines, a professor of malaria control and vector biology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“When these things first come up, people go ‘it’s just a mosquito, and we’ll worry about it if it’s a vector,'” Lines, who was not involved in the study, told CNN.
“The point is that you can get rid of it when it’s new, if you wait until it’s well established, that you’re realizing it’s causing outbreaks of disease … I’m sorry, it’s too late. All you can do is to manage the problem, ”he added.
Previous examples of once regional mosquitoes that have become ‘worldwide’, such as the Asian tiger mosquito, which is now ‘in the process of invading Northern Europe’, should be a warning that early action is needed to tackle the problem, said Lines.
“I think we need a greater urgency about this on a continental scale than we are currently doing,” he said. “If we now wait until we know more, it will be too late to get rid of it. It is no longer a foothold where you may want to get rid of, it is one of the native mosquitoes of a large part of East Africa. ‘
Lines warned that the consequences would be severe if Anopheles stephensi spread to cities in Africa.
“The city center has so far been the only refuge for malaria in parts of Africa,” he said. “But in the future, if Anopheles stephensi becomes established, that will no longer be the case.”