Researchers map mosquitoes that transmit Zika and Dengue by county

The mosquitoes known as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus transmit arboviruses that are increasing threats to human health in the Americas, particularly dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Therefore, accurate and up-to-date information for the geographical ranges of these mosquitoes have been urgently needed to guide surveillance and enhance control capacity for these mosquitoes.

A new article published in the Journal of Medical Entomology features maps of counties in the United States where these mosquitoes have been recorded, based on records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ArboNET database, VectorMap, the published literature, a survey of mosquito control agencies, university researchers, and state and local health departments.

Between January 1995 and March 2016, 183 counties from 26 states and the District of Columbia reported the occurrence of Aedes aegypti, and 1,241 counties from 40 states and the District of Columbia reported the occurrence of Aedes albopictus.

"Our findings underscore the need for systematic surveillance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States and delineate areas with risk for the transmission of these introduced arboviruses," the authors wrote.