Mosquito News and Research

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WHO/PAHO provides public health advice to mitigate Zika virus risk during 2016 Olympics in Brazil

Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus.

31 May 2016

NMSU researchers seek Aedes aegypti mosquito to map Zika virus transmission

While the rest of the world is keeping its distance from the mosquito that carries the Zika virus, two New Mexico State University professors are seeking out this mosquito, which carries not only Zika but also a host of other diseases as well.

28 May 2016

Japan-based researchers find new tool to predict risk of Zika virus transmission

A new tool by Japan-based researchers predicts the risk of Zika virus importation and local transmission for 189 countries.

27 May 2016

Drexel scientists identify how two new antimalarial drugs work

Drexel University scientists have discovered an unusual mechanism for how two new antimalarial drugs operate: They give the parasite's skin a boost in cholesterol, making it unable to traverse the narrow labyrinths of the human bloodstream.

27 May 2016

Oklahoma researchers move forward in race to find vaccine for Zika virus

With the mosquito season virtually upon us, there is growing concern about the potential for the Zika virus to spread in the United States. In fact, many public health officials believe it is not a question of if but rather when an outbreak will occur here.

26 May 2016

New data-intensive supercomputer may help combat spread of Zika virus

More than 50 data scientists, engineers, and UT Austin students gathered on Sunday, May 15, 2016 to use Big Data to fight the spread of Zika for the "Austin Zika Hackathon" at the Cloudera offices downtown.

23 May 2016

WHO reveals low to moderate risk of Zika virus outbreak in Europe during late spring and summer

The overall risk of a Zika virus outbreak across the WHO European Region is low to moderate during late spring and summer, according to a new risk assessment published today by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

19 May 2016

Tackling Zika: are insect repellents the answer? An interview with Bruno Jactel

The repellents that are used today are mostly based on what we call chemical pesticides. These products are used to repel mosquitoes as well as ticks. They are very broadly used, but there are different issues surrounding their use.

19 May 2016

Experimental hepatitis C drug slows down development of Zika in mice

Virologists from KU Leuven, Belgium, have shown that an experimental antiviral drug against hepatitis C slows down the development of Zika in mice. The research team was led by Professor Johan Neyts from the Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy.

17 May 2016

WHO/PAHO statement on Zika virus and the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recognize that athletes and visitors are seeking more information on the risks of Zika and ways to prevent infection while attending the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games (5 August to 18 September 2016).

16 May 2016

Mosquito larvae carries Sindbis virus that can cause Ockelbo disease

After an outbreak of Ockelbo disease in northern Sweden in 2013, researchers at Umeå University were able to trace the virus to mosquitos in an area of Lövånger. In a new study, researchers have shown that mosquito larvae in the Västerbotten region also carry virus that can cause infectious disease. These include the Sindbis virus, which causes Ockelbo disease, which is associated with fever, rashes and prolonged joint pain.

13 May 2016

Drug-repositioning strategy could help combat Chikungunya virus

Since 2013, the mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus has spread rapidly through South America and the Caribbean, and is now threatening Southern Europe and the southern US.

13 May 2016

Yellow fever outbreak: Researchers emphasize need to prepare for global health emergency

Evidence is mounting that the current outbreak of yellow fever is becoming the latest global health emergency, say two Georgetown University professors, who call on the World Health Organization to convene an emergency committee under the International Health Regulations. In addition, with frequent emerging epidemics, they call for the creation of a "standing emergency committee" to be prepared for future health emergencies.

10 May 2016

Experimental vaccine protects healthy U.S. adults from malaria infection for more than one year

An experimental malaria vaccine protected a small number of healthy, malaria-naïve adults in the United States from infection for more than one year after immunization, according to results from a Phase 1 trial described in the May 9th issue of Nature Medicine.

10 May 2016

Unfolding story of Zika virus in the Americas

Health Systems & Reform presents the article "Zika Virus and Health Systems in Brazil: From Unknown to a Menace," a commentary by Professor Marcia C. Castro, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on the Zika Virus epidemic in Brazil and the Americas.

4 May 2016

New project explores role of mosquitoes in transmission of pathogens in Austria

In the wake of climate change and globalisation, non-indigenous mosquito species establish in Europe together with the pathogens they transmit. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF is currently investigating mosquito species found in Austria and their role in the transmission of pathogens.

3 May 2016

More neurological resources needed to manage Zika virus infections

WFN Zika-Info-Service: World Federation of Neurology establishes Work Group on Zika virus to support international efforts - Lack of neurological resources in countries most concerned by the virus.

28 Apr 2016

WHO reminds Angola travellers to receive yellow fever vaccination

As efforts to bring an outbreak of yellow fever in Angola under control continue, the World Health Organization is reminding all travellers to the country that they are required to receive the yellow fever vaccination and to have a valid certificate of vaccination to prove that they are protected from the disease and to prevent its further spread.

27 Apr 2016

Newly discovered hybrid house mosquitoes could be bridge vectors between birds and humans

The team of researchers from the Institute of Parasitology at Vetmeduni Vienna sampled nearly 1,500 house mosquitoes in eastern Austria. The northern house mosquito Culex pipiens, representing more than 90% of the total catch, was the most abundant. Culex pipiens comprises a complex of ecologically different forms that are morphologically indistinct.