Dengue fever has killed 67 people in Rio de Janeiro. This in spite of a massive campaign to eradicate the vector (the mosquito species Aedes Aegypti).
I understand that this mosquite came to Brazil some time around 1970 (it was originally from the Nile Valley). Apparently, it can breed in a cupful of water.
Dengue is a terrible disease-my dad had it in WWII (in the Soth Pacific-he said he wouldn’t wish it on his worst enemy).
Can this mosquito survive in colder climates? And, why is it so difficult to eradicate?
CDC webpage that addresses some of your questions.
This mosquito species cannot survive colder climates, it is a tropical species. And like stated, it is difficult to eradicate.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, a place that has had several outbreaks of dengue (IIRC, Types 1 and 2 mostly). I remember throughout my childhood seeing PSAs on the TV warning us about the danger of leaving standing water around. It seems to have worked, since now that I’ve moved to other places, I’m the one that throws every water containing object away (while others don’t seem to mind the rise in mosquitoes).
Also, mosquitoes breed in many things, including water that many of us would think unsuitable. I remember from high school science class, we had to do a project about how many mosquitoes reproduced and mosquitoes survived in different types of water. These were plastic bottles that had some type of water mixture and after the mosquitoes were introduced, they were sealed off (with a mesh gauze to allow breathing).
Those damn things bred and survived on almost all water types. Dirty, muddy, with detergent, with other soap, etc. Not at the same rate, but you still saw live larva. I think the only water they couldn’t breed in was diluted with bleach. Also, not having access to food may have had something to do with their eventual survival rates.