Invasive mosquitoes continue global spread in 2026

Tropical mosquito-borne diseases are predicted to become increasingly common in the UK, as climate change creates improved conditions for mosquito survival.Just a few weeks ago Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are capable of carrying dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, were discovered breeding in the UK for the first time.Three deaths from malaria, suspected as being caused by invasive mosquitoes, were recorded near Frankfurt Airport in Germany in August.And Europe as a whole is experiencing a record breaking outbreak of another mosquito-borne pathogen, West Nile virus, with 1715 locally acquired cases across the EU so far in 2026, some in countries that have never seen local cases of the infection before.Although A aegypti have been seen in the UK before, this is the first time they have been detected breeding in the country, with larvae found in residential properties in east London.Jolyon Medlock, the head of medical entomology and zoonoses ecology at the…