Dengue and Zika-Carrying Mosquito Found Breeding in UK for First Time

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and larvae breeding at residential properties in east London, in the first confirmed UK breeding detection of the species.

The mosquito can transmit dengue, chikungunya and Zika in countries where those infections circulate. UKHSA said the current public-health risk remained very low, with no evidence that the mosquitoes had caused human infections or spread into nearby public areas.

The discovery is the fourth recent UK detection of Aedes aegypti. Unlike earlier detections, the finding of larvae indicates that the species has bred locally rather than being found only after arriving from elsewhere.

Enhanced surveillance and trapping activities have now begun in the area. Control measures are also being used to destroy larvae and limit the possibility of further breeding.

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Aedes aegypti is associated with dengue, chikungunya and Zika transmission in parts of the world where those viruses are present. The UKHSA’s assessment means the latest finding is being treated as a surveillance and control issue, rather than evidence of an ongoing outbreak.

Residents and visitors in the affected area have not been linked to infections, and the agency said there was no evidence of spread into nearby public areas. Monitoring and larval-control work will continue as officials assess the extent of the detection.

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