Gamston in Retford is among the places to undergo mosquito surveillance this summer as part of a national project to understand mosquito activity across Britain.
The UK Health Security Agency is working with Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to increase surveillance on land along the River Idle near Retford, Nottinghamshire, where nuisance biting from Aedes vexan mosquitoes has taken place in previous years.
Work has already been undertaken in Gamston to improve the natural environment by reshaping the wetland and reducing the flood risk to minimise suitable habitats for the mosquitoes, which has greatly improved the issue.
Now, a research programme by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified fragments of West Nile Virus in historic mosquito samples collected from Gamston in 2023.
UKHSA has assessed the risk to the public as very low and will continue to visit the Gamston site fortnightly over the summer to collect further mosquito samples.
To date, there have been no human cases of locally acquired West Nile Virus in the UK. The main risk of West Nile Virus for UK residents continues to be travel to overseas areas, including parts of Europe, which have already been affected by the disease.
Vivienne Robbins, Director of Public Health and Communities for Nottinghamshire County Council, said:
“While the risk to the local population has been assessed as very low, we’re pleased to see further surveillance being carried out by UKHSA and APHA in Gamston.
“Work has been ongoing since 2018 with partners in this area to reduce the risk of nuisance mosquito biting. This has included actions to minimise suitable habitats for the mosquitoes, which will greatly improve the issue.
“This type of mosquito is native to the UK. Mosquitoes in the UK are also commonly found in wet woodland areas, ponds, ditches, marshes, and even garden water butts. To avoid being bitten by a mosquito, wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, use insect repellent on your arms and legs, or use blinds or screens to help keep mosquitoes out of homes.”
Craig Taylor, Director of Regeneration and Neighbourhoods at Bassetlaw District Council, said:
“In Gamston, work has been carried out in recent years with the landowners to reshape the wetland and reduce the flood risk to minimise suitable habitats for Aedes vexan mosquitoes, which we believe will improve the issue.”
Dr Vanessa MacGregor, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for UKHSA East Midlands, said:
“While this is the first detection of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes in the UK so far, it is not unexpected as the virus is already widespread in Europe.
“The risk to the general public is very low and there is nothing to suggest this disease is circulating in Gamston or anywhere else in the UK.
“We know that in the wake of climate change, mosquito-borne diseases are expanding to new areas. It is therefore important that we continue to carry out surveillance to provide early warning and continue to assess the public health risk.”
