The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has issued a warning about the invasion of a new mosquito breed that is more harmful than the Anopheles mosquito. The new mosquito breed, known as Anopheles stephensi, is a malaria-transmitting mosquito that is highly invasive and can adapt to a wide range of climate conditions.
According to the GHS, the new breed has established a foothold in Tuba and Dansoman and is spreading quickly. The Anopheles stephensi first invaded Africa in 2019 and has since been confirmed in countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and most recently Ghana in March.
This breed produces both Plasmodium Falciparum (the deadliest species of plasmodium which causes malaria) and P Vivax Malaria parasites. A recent mathematical modeling study by the World Health Organization projected that An. stephensi could put an additional 126 million people in Africa at risk of malaria if the mosquito vector were to spread unchecked.
The statement also reveals that this breed is resistant to multiple insecticides which makes control very difficult. It is not yet known what can effectively kill it.
In response to this threat, the GHS has set up a task force to implement measures including the removal of water collection points in and around homes and communities to minimize breeding sites. Residents are advised to take precautions to protect themselves from this dangerous new mosquito breed.