WHO launches new initiative to stop invasive malaria vector in Africa
A new World Health Organization (WHO) initiative has been launched that aims to stop the further spread of this invasive mosquito species in the region.The WHO had identified the spread of Anopheles stephensi as a significant threat to malaria control and elimination in 2019 - particularly in Africa, where the disease hits hardest.Originally native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, An. stephensi has been expanding its range over the last decade, with detections reported in Djibouti (2012), Ethiopia and Sudan (2016), Somalia (2019) and Nigeria (2020).Unlike the other main mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, it thrives in urban settings, the WHO said."With more than 40 per cent of the population in Africa living in urban environments, the WHO said the invasion and spread of An. stephensi could pose a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria. But large-scale surveillance of the vector is still in its infancy, and more research and data are urgently .