Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of work being undertaken to reduce the incidence of dengue infection carried by mosquitoes.

All cases of dengue identified in the United Kingdom are acquired abroad and the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory has accredited, reliable tests for the infection. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works with local authorities, port health and Animal and Plant Health border inspection teams to monitor points of entry for the mosquito species currently implicated in local cases of dengue which occasionally occur in the rest of Europe. Since 2016, these invasive mosquito vectors have been found in Southern England on six occasions and a cross-Government contingency plan was initiated to reduce chances of establishment in the UK. The UKHSA also supports efforts across Europe to monitor dengue vectors and assists UK overseas territories in managing dengue outbreaks, particularly in the Caribbean.