Important Facts For Prelims
Nairobi Flies
- 06 Jul 2022
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, after coming into contact with Nairobi flies, approximately 100 students in East Sikkim have reported skin infections.
What are Nairobi Flies?
- About:
- It's a species of insect native to East Africa.
- Nairobi flies, also known as Kenyan flies or dragon bugs, are small, beetle-like insects of two species:
- Paederus Eximius.
- Paederus sabaeus.
- They are orange and black in colour and thrive in areas with high rainfall, as has been seen in Sikkim in recent weeks.
- Like most insects, they are attracted to Bright lights.
- Historical Outbreaks:
- Significant outbreaks have occurred in Kenya and other parts of eastern Africa. In 1998, unusually heavy rain brought a large number of insects into the area.
- In the past several outbreaks have happened outside Africa like in India, Japan, and Paraguay.
What are their effects on Humans?
- These insects usually don't bite but if they are disturbed during their stay on human skin, they could release a potent acidic substance that can cause burn on human skin.
- The released substance is called Pederin and it can cause irritation on the skin, which leads to lesions or unusual marks or coloring of the skin.
