Windborne spread of insect-transmitted diseases of animals and man

Abstract

There are many kinds of flying insects that transmit disease. Some are known to be able to travel up to several tens of kilometres, and for a few there is evidence of movements over hundreds of kilometres. Such long movements are wind-dominated, and they involve flying for hours, sometimes continuously. They are also rapid, and they need to be taken into account when forecasting disease spread. Both the monitoring and the controlling of outbreaks might then be improved.