News Health & Medicine

A major malaria outbreak in Ethiopia came from an invasive Asian mosquito

Malaria may become a much bigger problem in Africa’s cities if the mosquito continues to spread

A close up photo of a mosquito drawing blood from a human

Anopheles stephensi is an invasive mosquito in Africa, where it threatens to spark malaria outbreaks in city environments.

CDC Public Health Image Library

By Jake Buehler

In early 2022, malaria cases in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa surged, with more than 2,400 people sickened. The spike in infections was the work of an invasive mosquito species that’s spreading across Africa, scientists report.