Challenges in undertaking mosquito surveillance at UK seaports and airports to prevent the entry and establishment of invasive vector species

Abstract

Port health authorities have played an important role in the control of infectious diseases worldwide. The International Health Regulations (2005) further clarifies this role and provides a legal statutory instrument that aims to assist the international community to prevent and respond to global public health risks. Eleven UK sea and airports participated in a pilot, investigating the challenges ports could face in attempting to monitor for mosquitoes. The study also examined the types of habitat that could support mosquitoes. There is a concern that exotic vector species, such as Aedes albopictus, could invade and become established in the UK. Environments in and around the ports differed, and this was reflected in the species of mosquitoes caught. Ports used different methods to collect mosquitoes and developed a range of techniques for surveying, which suited the conditions at their port. This paper discusses the implications of invasive mosquito surveillance to UK port health authorities.

Keywords:

• exotic mosquitoes
• monitoring and surveillance
• sea and airports

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the ports who participated in the survey for facilitating access and surveillance activities at their sites. In particular we wish to thank Nick Baskerville (Bristol PHA), Ged Burden (Southampton PHA), Niall Convery (Belfast PHA), Lynnette Crossley (Manchester PHA), Laurence Dettman (Hull and Goole PHA), Paul Haden (Gatwick PHA), Laurence Jarrold (Felixstowe PHA), Christopher Massey (Mersey PHA), Kevin Napier (Belfast International Airport), Steve Seddon (Mersey PHA), Andrea Smith (Manchester PHA) and Shui Tsoi (Heathrow PHA), all of whom participated in collecting samples for this work. We are also grateful to the Association of Port Health Authorities for their support in the planning and implementation of this research and would like in particular to thank John Robinson, Sandra Westacott and Tony Morris for their support and guidance.