JUST as South Africa is on the verge of joining the cohort of countries in the world that has eliminated malaria, identified by reporting zero indigenous malaria cases in a year, a new invasive vector, Anopheles stephensi, is spreading like wildfire with Africa the hardest hit.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this species of mosquito, first identified in parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula a decade ago, has been migrating rapidly into Africa, especially in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.
Unlike the other mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, Anopheles stephensi thrives in urban settings. With more than 40% of the African population living in urban environments, its spread poses a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria.
The fact that large-scale surveillance…