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The spectre of rising mosquito-borne urban disease
Two particular sets of mosquito-borne threats pose an ominous and clear pattern of already-existing challenges to urban dwellers, which are set to get worse. One is Aedes-borne arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. The other is the sustained spread, across Africa, of the urban malaria vector Anopheles stephensi.
These developments are significant, given that dengue alone already infects about 400 million people annually and in Africa, where malaria transmission has largely been confined to rural areas, An. stephensi could add a completely new paradigm of urban malaria transmission which did not historically exist, and for which Africa is concerningly unprepared.
We outline the risks and consequences of these potential jumps, underlining the need for investment in research and action to help alleviate the impending consequences through a series of targeted interventions.
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