West Nile virus detected in British mosquitoes for first time

London: British health authorities have confirmed the first ever detection of West Nile virus (WNV) genetic material in mosquitoes collected in the Un...

London: British health authorities have confirmed the first-ever detection of West Nile virus (WNV) genetic material in mosquitoes collected in the United Kingdom (UK). Officials emphasized, however, that the risk to the general public remains very low.

The positive results came from two samples of Aedes vexans mosquitoes collected by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from wetlands along the River Idle near Gamston (Retford), Nottinghamshire, in July 2023.

The mosquitoes were tested in pools of 10, with only two pools returning positive results. The remaining 198 samples tested negative.

This marks the first confirmed presence of West Nile virus in mosquitoes in the UK. Follow-up testing at the same site and across the country has not identified any further positive samples.

West Nile virus is a vector-borne disease from the Flaviviridae family, which also includes dengue and yellow fever viruses. The virus is primarily maintained in bird populations and transmitted through bird-biting mosquitoes. In rare cases, infected mosquitoes can pass the virus to humans or horses.