Resistant mosquito threatens malaria fight
By BBC, January 19, 2024A new species of mosquito is driving up infections in Africa, fuelling a growing public health concern.
The Anopheles Stephensi mosquito, better known by some entomologists as just “steve”, has so far been detected in seven African countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Was detected
The mosquito, which originated from parts of South Asia, was first detected in Djibouti in 2012. Since then, malaria rates in the country have grown exponentially.
The new species has since spread to Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
Urban breeder
Unlike other mosquitoes that breed in rivers and swamps, “steve” is known to be an urban breeder that thrives in dry areas.
It only needs a bit of water, like water trapped in containers, tires and gutters to survive.
The species also bites outdoors during the day and is immune to commonly-used pesticides.
Indoor strategies
“It’s a threat in urban settings, it’s a threat to our strategies in place now because we’re mostly using indoor strategies. It’s also difficult to detect and is very resistant. It stays in very harsh climates and is very difficult to eliminate from an environment,” Dr Dorothy Achu, the WHO lead for tropical diseases in Africa, says.