Malaria Vectors Expanding Their Territory Almost 5 Km Annually

Malaria vectors have spread southward expansion by 4.7 kilometers (nearly 3 miles) every year, and risen 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in elevation each year. That’s further and faster than previous estimates which reported that across the board, terrestrial species were moving poleward by 1.7 kilometers (1.05 miles) a year and upslope by 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) each year – a rate that was, at that time, roughly two to three times faster than previously thought.

The study suggests that African Anophelenes have moved so far that they are now found 500 kilometers (310 miles) closer to the south pole and 700 meters (2,300 feet) farther uphill than they were at the turn of the 20th century. This is some of the first “hard historical evidence” that mosquitos are already on the move with rising temperatures –and have been for quite from time. And is what can be expected if climate change is helps these species reach colder parts of the continent.

The author suggest that other mosquito species are probably moving in a similar way, but the study only tracked Anophelenes.

The full article is available at:

https://www.sciencealert.com/malaria-carrying-mosquitos-are-expanding-their-territory-almost-3-miles-a-year?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=vector+disease+control+international+%28vdci%29&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=d323f229-2248-46f5-9db0-aa12ccb15c36

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *