The UK Health Security Agency reported on 3 September 2026 that invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and larvae had been detected at residential properties in east London, the first time this species has been identified breeding in the UK. The agency said the finding, reported through its Mosquito Watch surveillance scheme, was the fourth detection of the species in the UK in recent years. Control measures were implemented to destroy the larvae, and the area was to be monitored closely.

Dr Jolyon Medlock, Head of Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology at UKHSA, said the species can transmit dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus in countries where those infections circulate, but the risk to the public from the finding was assessed as very low. He said there was no evidence the mosquitoes had caused human infections and none that they or larvae had been found in nearby public areas. The mosquitoes were believed to be accidental importations.

Medlock said the species is not established in the UK and cannot survive long-term in the typical UK climate, though incursions are expected to continue in a warming climate. UKHSA advised residents to remove standing water from gardens and outdoor spaces and invited the public to submit photographs or specimens through Mosquito Watch.