The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Entomology Research team have announced the discovery of a new malaria vector (transmitter) which poses a serious threat to Kenyans.
In a statement from acting Director General Samuel Kariuki on Sunday, KEMRI said the vector known as Anopheles stephensi was first detected in Laisamis and Saku sub-counties of Marsabit County, where the research was being conducted.
The discovery, made alongside the Ministry of Health’s Division of National Malaria Programme (DNMP), shows that the vector thrives in both urban and rural settings which may translate to a high transmission rate.
“Our surveillance studies indicate that the new vector, unlike the traditional malaria-causing mosquitoes namely Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles fimfests, is not only Invasive and can spread very fast to new areas, but also adaptive to different climatic and environmental conditions,” a part of the statement reads.
