The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a tropical mosquito that is part of the Aedes species. It is capable of transmitting several viruses, including Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. These mosquitoes are small and have a black and white pattern on their legs and other parts of the body.
Two adult Aedes albopictus mosquitoes have been found in a single enhanced mosquito trap, a BG Sentinnel 2 trap. After last year’s discovery of the Aedes species in the area, the Health Unit worked closely with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Ontario, and the Public Health Agency of Canada to enhance this year’s local mosquito surveillance program to monitor for the presence of the Aedes species.
Mosquitoes are small insects belonging to the fly family. Mosquitoes usually lay 100-400 eggs at a time in still water. The female mosquito is the one that bites, as she needs blood to make her eggs. A mosquito bite usually results in a reaction including swelling, redness, and itchiness, and can vary from mild to severe.
The Aedes albopictus mosquito is a tropical mosquito that is part of the Aedes species which is capable of transmitting Zika virus. Although this species of mosquito, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is capable of transmitting viruses including Zika, it is not the species that is responsible for the majority of human cases of Zika virus infection in the Caribbean, South America and Florida. That species is the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
