Climate change: Future disease risk from mosquitos in Scotland

One of the most common types of mosquitoes has been spotted across Scotland for the first time, according to researchers at the University of Glasgow.

They discovered 16 species of mosquitoes in Scotland, including Culex mosquitoes, which are endemic in the Americas, parts of Europe, and parts of Asia and North Africa.

Professor Heather Ferguson, who led the research, said she was surprised to find the insects in every corner of the country.

He warned that rising temperatures could lead to an increase in mosquito numbers, including those from areas where they can transmit disease.

Scots have long suffered from swarms of midges that breed in the warm, humid conditions of Scotland’s summers, but little was known about how widespread the mosquitoes are north of the border.

Mosquitoes are larger than midges and have blood-sucking proboscises.

This means that mosquitoes are feared around the world as carriers of deadly diseases such as dengue and Zika.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 219 million people worldwide become infected with mosquito-borne malaria each year, resulting in 400,000 deaths.

Experts stressed that while early warning systems are important, it is unlikely that the type of mosquito that carries malaria will be found in the UK anytime soon.

Until now, little was known about how prevalent mosquitoes are in Scotland.

That’s why experts at the Virus Research Center are closely monitoring their efforts to monitor the impact of climate change on the spread of the disease.

They set traps in 24 locations across the country and lured insects with the smell of carbon dioxide, which resembles human breath.

They discovered 16 species out of about 4,000 from around the world.

The highest concentrations were around Lake Kinodey in Angus and Bulbster Leens in Caithness.

Professor Ferguson said: “Rising temperatures will potentially increase the number of different species of mosquitoes, including species that may migrate from other areas where they can transmit disease.” Ta.

“They may be active for longer periods of time, which means they may pose a risk.”

Dr Nick Finn, medical director of Public Health Scotland, said it was important to understand how mosquitoes spread because they could carry potentially deadly diseases. said.

He said West Nile virus, which is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes, had spread across Europe in recent years.

“We have confirmed cases in France as well,” Dr. Finn said.

“It doesn’t take a leap of the imagination to see that they could soon be detected in England and Scotland.”

“Mosquitoes can survive in warmer winters than in summer.

“That’s because cold conditions kill many insects and reduce their populations.”

A big concern is that the UK is becoming more suitable for invasive species such as the Asian tiger mosquito, also known as the Aedes albopictus, which transmits dengue fever.

A recent report from the UK Health and Safety Agency (UKHSA) considers the worst-case scenario.

They found that England would be the first country to be affected, with parts of Wales, Northern Ireland and the Scottish Lowlands also suitable for habitat later this century.

This mosquito has been responsible for recent cases of dengue fever in France and chikungunya fever in Italy.

UKHSA already has surveillance systems in place to quickly detect invading mosquitoes, including a network of mosquito egg traps placed along UK borders.

The Scottish Government said it was also funding research through the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Dr. Finn says more government-sponsored research is needed to better understand the risks.

“Without a baseline to know what’s going on, it’s hard to tell whether things are getting better or worse,” he said.

“It would be hoped that a formal system would allow us to identify some of these species early and take action to hopefully stop them from breeding in the UK.

“There needs to be some formal structure around this oversight.

“We need to continue to do this in a very systematic and structured way to not only understand what is going on, but also to detect early introduction of mosquitoes into Scotland.”