Mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile fever discovered for the first time in Finland

In the city of Pori in Finland, a species of mosquito Culex modestus has been discovered, which may be carriers of West Nile fever. This is the first time this species of mosquito has been found in Finland. The researchers emphasize that the possibility of the spread of fever in Finland is extremely unlikely. press office University of Helsinki.

“At the moment, the Finns do not have to worry about finding this mosquito. To date, there has not been a single case of fever in humans or horses in Finland, ”the press service reports the words of researcher Lorna Calverwell, who discovered the mosquito.

To transmit West Nile fever to humans, a mosquito must first bite an infected bird. The insect does not become infectious immediately, but after a few days, when the virus enters its saliva. Ms. Culverwell noted that for the fever to occur in Finland, local birds must be infected with it and there must be sufficient numbers of Culex modestus mosquitoes. So far, one specimen of the insect has been found in the country. At the same time, according to the researcher, it is unlikely that there is only one Culex modestus in Finland.

In May, Russian scientists opened and described three new species of ticks that can carry various diseases, including West Nile fever. How informed in March, Rospotrebnadzor, in the Russian Federation, cases of human infection with fever are recorded every year. In 2022, 33 cases were registered. During 2023, two imported cases of the disease were confirmed in Russia: in the Voronezh region – from the Republic of Maldives and in the Krasnoyarsk Territory – from Thailand.

Erdni Kagaltynov