Protecting Australia from disease vectors: exotic mosquito management at the border

Abstract

Mosquitoes, through the diseases they transmit, are considered the deadliest animals in the world1. While Australia is relatively free of many of the mosquito species capable of transmitting diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, Australia is not immune to the risk of these arboviruses becoming endemic through the introduction of exotic mosquito vectors. In 150 separate instances there were 525 individual exotic mosquitoes detected at the Australian border between 2014 and 2017 (Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, unpublished data). Accordingly, there is a strong focus on surveillance and control activities to prevent exotic mosquito incursions and possible local establishment.