[Correspondence] Re-emergence of Aedes aegypti in Egypt

Egypt is currently experiencing an outbreak of dengue in Red Sea Governorate.1 The mosquito species Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti was identified as the vector in all dengue outbreaks occurring before 1940 and as a nuisance in Alexandria and Cairo, but a substantial decrease in its population was observed with the use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), triggering its disappearance from Egypt.2 After a report of two travellers diagnosed with dengue in Italy upon returning from southern Egypt in 2011, two studies3,4 reviewed the re-emergence of A aegypti, but did not provide substancial evidence of its occurrence in Egypt.

Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - January 26, 2018 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Shaimaa Abozeid, Adel K Elsayed, Francis Schaffner, Abdallah M Samy Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research