Mosquito that transmits malaria has been detected for the first time in Ethiopia. The study led by a Baylor University researcher says that the discovery points towards more people being put at risk for malaria in new regions.The mosquito, Anopheles stephensi, is normally found in the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and China. Earlier research had shown that more than 68 per cent of Ethiopia's population is at risk for malaria with an average of 2.5 million cases reported annually, according to the World Malaria Report of 2017.Speaking about it, lead researcher Tamar Carter, Ph.D said, "From a public health standpoint, or that mosquito populations are increasing where they were once were scarce."She further added, "If these mosquitoes carry malaria, we may see an emergence of malaria in new regions."The study, 'First detection of Anopheles stephensi Liston, 1901 (Diptera: culicidae) in Ethiopia using molecular and morphological approaches' -- published in Acta Tropica, an ...
