Mosquitoes At United Kingdom Ports: Surveillance and Operational Challenges

Abstract:
Port health authorities have played an important role in the control of infectious diseases. The International Health Regulations (2005) further clarifies this role and provides a legal statutory instrument which aims to assist the international community to prevent and respond to global public health risks. Eleven Ports around the UK were recruited to join a pilot, investigating the challenges ports could face in attempting to monitor for mosquitoes. The study also examined the types of habitat that could support mosquitoes. Although the UK’s current native mosquito species pose, at worst, a biting nuisance, there is concern that exotic vector species, such as Aedes albopictus, could invade and become established in the UK. Following two summers of surveying, the port health officers met to discuss the resource requirements and the methods that they found to be suitable at their sites. It was clear that the environments in and around ports differed and this was reflected in the species of mosquitoes caught. Ports used different methods to collect mosquitoes and developed a range of techniques for surveying, which suited the conditions at their Port. It is hoped that more ports will agree to monitor and that methods of sharing this information between ports can be developed.