Kent 'perfect place' for new mosquitos to enter UK

A virology researcher says Kent is a "perfect place" for new mosquito species to become established in the UK.

Professor Jonathan Ball from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine told BBC Radio Kent that more exotic mosquito species are making "a northward charge".

"We suspect that as our climate warms, these mosquitos will increase their range and that will include southern parts of Britain," he said.

Prof Ball was speaking after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on 21 May it found West Nile virus fragments in mosquitoes captured in Nottinghamshire in 2023.

The UKHSA says the risk to the general public of West Nile virus is "very low" and there is "no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus" in UK mosquitos or birds.

West Nile virus typically causes either very minor symptoms or none at all, but can sometimes make people seriously ill.

The virus - found in many parts of the world, including Africa, South America, and mainland Europe - can kill in rare cases through serious brain illnesses.

No human cases of West Nile virus have been acquired in the UK, but seven cases of the disease linked to travel abroad have been recorded since 2000.

No specific treatment or vaccines exist for humans.

The virus fragments were found in Aedes vexans mosquitos, which Prof Ball says is "that pesky mosquito that you sometimes find in woodlands next to small shallow puddles".

He added: "We know that these virus can often replicate in different insect species. They're pretty promiscuous in of the insects that they can replicate in."

Prof Ball urged the public to "try and avoid" mosquito bites, which can happen at all times of day, by "covering up or using a good insect repellent".

Howard Carter, the creator of Incognito insect repellent, said "a lot of people do get bitten" in Kent and that Brits "do not take enough precautions when they go abroad" either.

"Kent residents, more than any other county" need to take precautions, he told BBC Radio Kent on Wednesday, because "one day either Dengue or West Nile virus will be in the UK and that's an outbreak".

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