Researchers from Kenya’s Medical Research Institute have detected a new species of mosquito in the East African nation that has shown resistance to locally used insecticides and the potential to transmit malaria throughout the year, unlike traditional malaria-causing mosquitoes.
The mosquito species — named Anopheles stephensi — was previously only known to spread malaria in South Asia and parts of the Arabian Peninsula, according to the World Health Organization.
This, however, is the first time the mosquito has been detected in Kenya and its arrival is raising concern among researchers who say malaria transmission may continue all year round, rather than being seasonal due to its ability to “spread very fast to new areas” regardless of climatic and environmental conditions.
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“The new mosquito poses a serious threat and could reverse the gains made in the fight against malaria,” Kenya’s Medical Research Institute said in a statement sent to ABC News. “Malaria in Kenya, and Africa at large is known to occur in rural areas. Rainfall, temperature and availability of unpolluted mosquito breeding habitats in rural areas favour the breeding of malaria mosquitoes.”
