Pest control groups prepare for mosquito boom in rich countries as planet warms
Pest control companies are developing ways to combat the growing number of mosquitoes carrying life-threatening diseases such as malaria and dengue fever into new areas of the world as a result of climate change.
The rise in temperatures has led to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases to higher altitudes and areas of the developed world where they had previously not been prevalent.
There are about 3,600 known species of mosquito. The native range of the Asian tiger mosquito is in south-east Asia, but it has been spreading since the 1960s and was discovered in Albania in 1979. It is now present in much of southern and central Europe.
“Last year, France recorded its worst ever number of dengue cases that were vectored by [the Asian tiger mosquito],” said Steven White, theoretical ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
The presence of this mosquito in the UK was first discovered in 2017. “It was likely that the mosquitoes were introduced from across the channel on transportation, however, it is not believed that they were able to establish,” White said. “This may change in the near future under climate change.”
A separate species of concern is the common house mosquito or Culex pipiens. “This species is resident to the UK, our modelling work indicates that [it] is likely to increase in abundance,” said White.
“Culex pipiens is a vector of West Nile virus, which is currently absent in the UK, but could be introduced via migratory birds,” he added. “Our work suggests that increases in temperature may make the risk of West Nile virus outbreaks in the UK in the next few decades more likely.”
Climate Capital
Where climate change meets business, markets and politics. Explore the FT’s coverage here.
Are you curious about the FT’s environmental sustainability commitments? Find out more about our science-based targets here
This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Leke Oso Alabi
