The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus
- University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- University of California, Davis, United States
- Colorado State University, United States
- Ministry of Health, Brazil
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Sweden
- Avia-GIS, Belgium
- Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Indonesia
- Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan
- National Institutes of Health, United States
- University of Oxford, United States
Abstract
Dengue and chikungunya are increasing global public health concerns due to their rapid geographical spread and increasing disease burden. Knowledge of the contemporary distribution of their shared vectors, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus remains incomplete and is complicated by an ongoing range expansion fuelled by increased global trade and travel. Mapping the global distribution of these vectors and the geographical determinants of their ranges is essential for public health planning. Here we compile the largest contemporary database for both species and pair it with relevant environmental variables predicting their global distribution. We show Aedes distributions to be the widest ever recorded; now extensive in all continents, including North America and Europe. These maps will help define the spatial limits of current autochthonous transmission of dengue and chikungunya viruses. It is only with this kind of rigorous entomological baseline that we can hope to project future health impacts of these viruses.
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This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
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The global distribution of the arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus
eLife 4:e08347.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08347
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