Distribution and habitat
Nakiwogo virus fieldwork. Currently the virus has only been discovered in Uganda.
Distribution
At present, Nakiwogo virus has only been discovered in Uganda in Africa but it is likely that more strains from around the world will be discovered due to the long distances that viruses can travel inside infected mosquitoes.
Habitat
Flaviviruses are made of pieces of a molecule related to DNA called RNA, which is wrapped in a protective envelope.
The viruses can only survive outside live mosquitoes for a very short amount of time, if at all.
In general, flaviviruses enter a mosquito’s body when the insect feeds on an infected animal. The virus is thought to hijack the cells in the mosquito’s salivary glands to make many copies of itself before infecting a new animal when the mosquito feeds again.
Nakiwogo virus was found in a female mosquito living near humans in Entebbe, Uganda.