Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “Updated reported distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the United States, 1995–2016” has been published in the Journal of Medical Entomology (1). The paper was written by a research group from the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado. Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.) and Ae. (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) are the two primary potential mosquito vectors of Zika, yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. The authors examined records from 1995 to December 2016 to identify counties in the United States that have reported contemporary collections of Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus.

Based on updated data collected through 2016, researchers report that 38 additional counties, mostly in Texas but also as far north as Illinois, recorded the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, Zika’s main vector. With the updated data, researchers report that the current distribution of Aedes aegypti spreads to 220 counties in 28 states and the District of Columbia, with the strongest concentration in Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana and Florida. The authors suggest that most recent findings emphasize the need for continued and improved mosquito surveillance.

Reference

1.Micah B. Hahn, Lars Eisen, Janet McAllister, Harry M. Savage, John-Paul Mutebi, Rebecca J. Eisen. Updated Reported Distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the United States, 1995–2016. J Med Entomol 2017 tjx088. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjx088