Abstract
The United Kingdom (UK) has reported a single detection of the eggs of the invasive mosquito vector Aedes albopictus in each of the three years from 2016 to 2018, all in southeast England. Here, we report the detection of mosquito eggs on three occasions at two sites in London and southeast England in September 2019. Mosquito traps were deployed at 56 sites, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as part of a coordinated surveillance programme with local authorities, Edge Hill University, and government departments. Response to each detection was coordinated by Public Health England’s (PHE) local health protection teams, with technical support from PHE’s Medical Entomology group, and control conducted by the respective local authority. Control, including source reduction and larviciding, was conducted within a 300 metre radius of the positive site. The response followed a National Contingency Plan for Invasive Mosquitoes: Detection of Incursions. Although the response to these incidents was rapid and well co-ordinated, recommendations are made to further develop mosquito surveillance and control capability for the UK.
Highlights
In the past three decades Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, has established in Europe and expanded its range, having been reported in at least 28 countries in Europe [1,2]
Polystyrene blocks positive for Ae. albopictus eggs were found at Ashford truck stop (1 egg at one trap) and a goods importer warehouse in Hounslow (3 eggs from two traps)
Morphological identification indicated the strong likelihood that the eggs were Ae. albopictus, and the Public Health England (PHE) Health Protection teams (HPT) and environmental health officers (EHO) were informed; identification using standard DNA barcoding methods as described above was required to confirm the identity of the eggs
Summary
In the past three decades Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, has established in Europe and expanded its range, having been reported in at least 28 countries in Europe [1,2]. Once found exclusively in forests of Southeast Asia where the principal aquatic habitats were tree holes, the species has adapted to exploit anthropogenic container habitats for breeding, in urban and peri-urban landscapes, and is associated with people’s homes, gardens, and yards, Int. J. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 5166; doi:10.3390/ijerph17145166 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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