Mosquitoes Migrate into New Territory, Bringing Disease with Them

Mosquitoes Migrate into New Territory, Bringing Disease with Them

So, You Think You Aren’t Exposed to the Diseases That Mosquitoes Carry… If You Aren’t Wrong Now, You Probably Will Be Soon

Newly released research, reported in Scientific American, points to the possibility of half the world being at risk of contracting dangerous and potentially life-threatening mosquito diseases by the year 2050.

While currently, West Nile Virus and EEE are the biggest mosquito threats in Massachusetts, that could be changing with the migration of mosquito-breeds not previously seen here.

What Will Cause the Drastic Spread of Mosquito-Borne Disease?

Nature Microbiology journal blames three things in a recent report:

• Environmental Change
• Urbanization
• Human Movement

Moritz Kraemer, of the Boston Children’s Hospital and the University of Oxford, was the lead author of a study that focuses on the movement of two species: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, both known for their ability to carry and transmit infection and disease. Taking information from the United States and Europe, where mosquito tracking techniques are advanced, the data shows the Aedes aegypti spreading upward from the southern US at approximately 37 miles per year and the Aedes albopictus moving across Europe at the rapid rate of 93 miles per year.

How Much of a Factor is Climate Change?

"We find evidence that if no action is taken to reduce the current rate at which the climate is warming, pockets of habitat will open up across many urban areas with vast amounts of individuals susceptible to infection," says Kraemer. It is a long-term threat that rising temperatures and a wetter climate will make the overall global area in which mosquitoes can survive larger. However, the movement rate mentioned above shows that even in the short-term the spread and growth are real.

E&E Public Health News also reminds us that it was just last year the CDC reported mosquito, tick, and flea-borne illnesses to have tripled in the United States over the last 15 years. This new report makes it quite clear that the dangers from the tiniest of pests will continue to grow.

However, just because these numbers appear on the horizon, it does not mean that you don’t have safety options at home. Continuous and consistent protection from a professional mosquito control service is the most effective way to stay safe from mosquitoes and the illnesses they carry. We offer mosquito control to ensure that even though mosquito habitats may be growing globally, they won’t be growing in your own yard.