Overview

• A peer-reviewed UKHSA–Centre for Climate and Health Security study reports confirmed detections of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in targeted surveillance.
• Ae. aegypti eggs were found at a freight facility near Heathrow in September 2023, and Ae. albopictus was recorded at a Kent motorway service station in August 2024, the first such Kent detection since 2019.
• Enhanced local responses found no further specimens, leading authors to assess the events as isolated incursions rather than signs of wide establishment.
• UK surveillance covers ports, airports, road transport hubs and Kent marshes, with additional reports gathered through the citizen-science Mosquito Recording Scheme.
• Researchers note rising temperatures increase the likelihood of future establishment, pointing to Ae. albopictus already persisting across parts of southern and central Europe.