Overview

• A peer-reviewed PLOS Global Public Health study from UKHSA confirms detections of invasive Aedes mosquitoes in 2023 and 2024.
• Aedes aegypti eggs were found at a freight storage site near Heathrow in September 2023, and Aedes albopictus was detected at a Kent motorway service station in August 2024.
• UKHSA reports no evidence of widespread establishment, with follow‑up surveillance and control finding no further specimens and indicating isolated incursions.
• National monitoring from 2020 to 2025 used ovitraps at airports, seaports and transport hubs across England, Wales and Northern Ireland with fortnightly checks and molecular and morphological identification in partnership with Edge Hill University.
• Researchers warn that milder winters and rising temperatures could increase incursions, underscoring the need for sustained monitoring, rapid local responses and continued public reporting through the Mosquito Recording Scheme.