Vector -based diseases -a disease transmitted to humans by organisms such as mosquitoes and ticks accounts for more than 700,000 deaths per year, accounting for more than 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide. Here is included malaria,,, Westna Il Virus,,, Dengue and yellow fever. In UKHSA, our medical insect team plays an important role in monitoring and evaluating new species and diseases that can threaten public health.
Current British risk profile
The risk of vector -mediated diseases in the UK is increasing due to world travel and trade, land use changes and climate change.
Malaria incidents imported from the UK, Wales and North Ireland exceeded 2,000 in 2023. -The highest in 20 years -compared to 1,369 in 2022, this rise is consistent with Malaria’s global resurrection and Van Messin after travel.
In recent years, dengue fever incidents in France, Italy and Spain have been transmitted by tiger mosquitoes, and the number of dengue fever related to imported travelers by British travelers has increased. The UKHSA vector surveillance system has taken quick measures to minimize the possibility of establishment by detecting these mosquito species several times in the UK.
Mosquito -sensitive mosquito -sensitive mosquitoes began to appear in England. It affects the detection of the usutu virus in 2020, black color. The West Nile virus was now found for the first time in British mosquitoes. In July 2023, the virus sculpture was confirmed by Aedes Vexans mosquitoes collected from Nottingham Sher’s wetlands. The danger of the public is still low, but this represents a significant development of vector surveillance.
How to reach the UK
Mosquitoes and ticks that are likely to infect the disease can reach the coast through:
- Hitchhiking of a vehicle moving to England
- In international trade, especially products such as tires
- Attached to pets, migratory birds and returning vacation producers
As our climate warms up, non -natural species are increasingly discovering British conditions suitable for survival, reproduction and establishment.
UKHSA’s response strategy
In our medical insect and zoo ecology (MEZE) team Climate and Health Security Center (CCH) Evaluate the new risks of the vector and advise the government for the appropriate response.
Mosquito monitoring and control
Transport hubs, such as highway service stations and trucks stops, are ideal sites that can collect in -depth data for detection of invasive mosquito species from trucks and other vehicles.
If the imported goods or vehicles that carry mosquitoes arrive in the UK, you can establish a local population. The highway service station, which shows the evidence of eggs and larvae, can be the first sign of the population potential in the UK.
We cooperate with local authorities to operate mosquito traps for invasive species in high -risk places across the UK. In a state that is not checked, if this species is not controlled, the result of this species can lead to the establishment of this invasive vector, so there is a possibility of a new disease that has not been seen in the UK.
Regional authorities and communities adjusted by our team are recommended to remove the sources of standing stagnant and stagnant water, such as the blockers and drains, and to be removed or arranged in a way that guarantees or drains the rainwater of garbage, taporin, open bucket, empty and abandoned objects. This also reduces the common CULEX PIPIENS mosquitoes that deliver the usutu virus to the black bird.
If an invasive species is found, the aggressive intervention is implemented, including:
- Reduction of breeding
- Use of insecticide if necessary
- Promotion of personal protection measures
- Warn the health care environment to monitor symptoms
Check the surveillance
Our tick surveillance program provides an important insight into evolving threats that this disease vector raises in public health throughout the UK. More than 20 mite species in the UK, Meze Team performs a wide range of sampling on a variety of natural habitats (including wooden lands) to understand regional species diversity, distribution patterns, host preferences and demographic dynamics.
Through the technology called ‘flag’, which collects quest mites through the vegetation, we collect samples for laboratory analysis to identify pathogens and evaluate disease risks. This work is especially supported by the National Tick surveillance system, which receives thousands of tick samples from public, veterinary practices, GP surgery and wildlife organizations during the peak season in April to June. The collected information helps to map seasonal patterns and geographic distributions, while RIPL (RIME and Imported pathogenic laboratory) tracks positive cases of diseases such as lyme and mite -mediated cerebralitis, which correlates the potential exposure location.
The impact of climate change on vector mediated diseases
Climate change greatly changes the vector -based disease environment in the UK and creates more and more favorable conditions for organisms that are interpreted in the disease. In British mosquitoes, the recent detection of the West Nile virus shows this new threat. Rainfall patterns, where the temperature rises and the rainfall pattern changes, expands the active seasons, geographic ticks and mosquito scope, and introduces new diseases in the UK, such as mites encephalitis, which was not in the UK, except for cases related to overseas travel. Without decisive measures, these changes can actually affect public health, which can increase the burden of disease and bear the health care system.
UKHSA’s surveillance system can provide early warnings of required to track the vector population, detect pathogens, and develop target mediation from habitat management to public education. Our ability to protect the present and future generations depends on the implementation of an adaptive public health strategy that maintains a strong monitoring network and recognizes important connections between climate change and human health.
How to protect yourself
In areas where mosquitoes or ticks may be:
- Wear long -sleeved clothes and pants
- Use insect insect insect insect insect containing DEET
- If possible, close the windows and doors or use the screen.
- Water standing in the garden to reduce mosquito reproduction
- Check the tick after outdoor activities on the forest or the lawn.
Cooperate to reduce risk
Our comprehensive surveillance system provides an early warning of potential threats. By cooperating with local authorities, medical professionals and the public, we are strengthening our ability to detect and respond to vector mediated diseases before being established in the UK.
To see more details or report invasive mosquitoes Ukhsa mosquito monitoring system As an image or sample. If you are bitten by ticks, you can submit samples to us. Select the surveillance system.
