Mosquitoes are out in force this fall as the summer heat eases and the weather turns cooler, with the latest mosquito index nearly doubling in just one week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s real-time mosquito surveillance data released Sunday, the mosquito index reached 100.9 in week 35 of this year, covering Aug. 24 to 29. The figure, based on catches from daily mosquito monitoring systems (DMS) across seven regions nationwide, rose by 47.9 from 53 the previous week. DMS automatically trap mosquitoes and use artificial intelligence to count and analyze them in real time. This marks the first time the index has exceeded 100 since the agency introduced the equipment and began monitoring earlier this year. The index hovered between 40 and 50 from weeks 28 through 32 before surging to 99.5 in week 33. It then fell to 53 in week 34 before climbing sharply again in week 35. The index for Culex tritaeniorhynchus, a mosquito species that transmits Japanese encephalitis — a rare but serious viral infection — also rose by 34 from the previous week to an averag