Kolkata: West Bengal Well being Division has stepped up surveillance after figuring out a brand new species of Aedes mosquito within the state. State Well being minister Dr Sharadwat Mukherjee mentioned Aedes lineatopennis, a species belonging to the Aedes genus, has been detected in West Bengal for the primary time.
Till now, Aedes aegypti has been considered the first vector liable for transmitting dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. The newly recognized species, Aedes lineatopennis, is present in a number of elements of Asia and Africa, together with India, however has now been recorded in West Bengal as properly.
The minister mentioned entomologists within the Well being Division have intensified surveillance following the invention, and an professional group is learning the species and its potential public well being implications.
Mukherjee mentioned the presence of one other Aedes species able to transmitting illness might improve the danger of dengue outbreaks sooner or later. Nevertheless, he burdened that the Well being Division is carefully monitoring the state of affairs and there’s no fast trigger for alarm.
The state has to this point reported six dengue circumstances until the top of July.
The minister mentioned particulars of all circumstances have been uploaded within the nationwide surveillance portal. Common evaluation conferences are being held on the state degree underneath his management, with the following assembly scheduled for August 17. Month-to-month evaluation conferences are additionally being performed on the district degree underneath District Magistrates and on the block degree underneath Block Improvement Officers to observe the dengue state of affairs.
In the meantime, entomologists urged warning towards drawing untimely conclusions in regards to the newly recognized mosquito. They mentioned Aedes lineatopennis is already identified to happen in Odisha and Patna, in addition to in Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and a number of other international locations in sub-Saharan Africa.
The species sometimes breeds in rainwater-filled floor depressions, marshy areas, grassy lowlands and momentary swimming pools shaped after flooding. It’s most lively round nightfall, although restricted biting exercise may happen shortly earlier than dawn. The mosquito feeds on people, different mammals and birds.
Specialists famous that Aedes lineatopennis is recognised as a secondary vector of the Rift Valley fever virus in Africa. Nevertheless, there’s at the moment no scientific proof from India linking the species to the transmission of dengue, Zika or chikungunya.
