The Ghana Health Service has identified an invasion of a new kind of mosquito that is more harmful than anopheles.
The new breed is known as Anopheles stephensi, and it is a malaria-transmitting mosquito, according to the GHS.
According to the report, the new breed is highly invasive, spreads quickly, and can adapt to a wide range of climate conditions.
GHS has also established a foothold in Tuba and Dansoman, according to the GHS.
As a result, it has issued a warning to residents to take precautions.
The Anopheles stephensi first invaded Africa in 2019, the countries include Ethiopia Sudan, Somalia, and Nigeria and unfortunately confirmed in Ghana just this March.
This breed produces both Plasmodium Falciparum (the deadliest species of plasmodium which causes malaria) and P Vivax Malaria parasites.
Also, a recent mathematical modeling study by the World Health Organization showed the spread of An. Stephensi and the implication for malaria transmission and control in Africa.
One study 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 known yet what really can kill it.
Meanwhile, the GHS has set up a task force, to implement a number of measures including the removal of water collection points in and around homes and communities to minimize the breeding sites
Source: ghanaweb.com
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