Insect Repellent News and Research

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Researchers develop low-cost catnip mosquito repellent for rural Uganda

Plant researchers from Wales and Uganda have collaborated on a community enterprise project in rural Uganda, becoming the first to create affordable and highly effective mosquito repellent distilled from locally grown catnip plants.

7 Jul 2026

Treated baby wraps may reduce malaria risk in refugee infants

Malaria remains a threat to young children in refugee settlements, where displacement, temporary housing, and limited access to healthcare reduce the effectiveness of conventional prevention tools.

7 May 2026

New monoclonal antibody shows promise for preventing Lyme disease

A Phase I clinical trial of a human monoclonal antibody discovered and developed at UMass Chan Medical School for the prevention of Lyme disease in the U.S. was well tolerated and showed lasting serum concentrations in participants, according to data presented by Mark Klempner, MD, at the World Vaccine Congress 2026 in Washington D.C.

8 Apr 2026

Study reveals large differences in knowledge about ticks between countries

Ticks are found all over the world. There are more than 900 species, and many of them pass on dangerous diseases to both humans and animals.

9 Oct 2025

Survey shows low public concern despite rising West Nile virus infections in the U.S.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States. As of Sept. 23, over 1,100 human cases of West Nile disease have been reported across 42 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including nearly 750 cases of the more serious neuroinvasive form which affects the brain.

26 Sep 2025

Social connections play key role in disease prevention practices

People's social connections play a critical role in determining whether they adopt preventative health measures that could help to reduce the spread of diseases such as malaria, a new study reveals.

13 Mar 2025

Increasing cases of mosquito-borne diseases call for greater awareness

The hospitalization last summer of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with West Nile virus – and his account of it this week in the New York Times – have helped raise public awareness of the dangers of mosquito borne-illness, which can range from Zika and malaria to dengue and West Nile virus.

8 Oct 2024

Common herbicide exposure linked to worse brain function in adolescents

Herbicides are the most used class of pesticides worldwide, with uses in agriculture, homes and industry. Exposures to two of the most popular herbicides were associated with worse brain function among adolescents, according to a study led by researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.

12 Oct 2023

Study offers molecular views on how olfactory receptors work

All senses must reckon with the richness of the world, but nothing matches the challenge faced by the olfactory system that underlies our sense of smell.

4 Aug 2021

Parts of Lake Tahoe close after chipmunks test positive for plague

Officials are closing some areas on the south shore of Lake Tahoe after some chipmunks tested positive for plague, an infectious disease that affects both humans and other mammals.

4 Aug 2021

Scientists develop new tool for studying the biting behavior of mosquitoes

Scientists have developed a tool for studying the biting behaviour of common pathogen-carrying mosquitoes, according to new research published this week in eLife.

23 Sep 2020

Researchers receive $1.9 million federal grant to find Lyme disease vaccine

Pesky, yet dangerous ticks are no longer latching exclusively onto hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Milder winters and disrupted habitats have driven them out of the woods, with Lyme disease cases in the United States tripling since the late 1990s.

9 Sep 2020

Study analyzes link between maternal insecticide use during pregnancy and neonatal jaundice

The data of 61,751 pregnant women, out of approximately 100,000 collected by the Japan Environment and Children's Study analyzed the association between the maternal usage of insecticides and insect repellents during pregnancy and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

28 Aug 2020

Scientists say insect repellent kills the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on surfaces

Now, a team of scientists at Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has shared preliminary findings of their research, showing that a product in insect repellent can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

27 Aug 2020

Natural compund in cedar and grapefruit skin could help repel mosquitoes and ticks says CDC

Over the last few years, there has been a rise in the number of cases of diseases caused by mosquito and tick bites. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that a natural chemical compound could help combat this problem. This compound Nootkatone is found commonly in cedar trees, and grapefruit skin says the organization.

11 Aug 2020

Analysis reveals cocktail of pharmaceuticals in the waters of Bangladesh

In spring of 2019, researchers set out to investigate what chemicals could be found in the waters of Bangladesh.

20 Apr 2020

Tick-borne brain infection reported in UK

Tick bites are known to spread infections. An infectious condition that can affect the brain has been identified for the first time in the United Kingdom and the disease has been found to spread via tick bites say sources.

30 Oct 2019

Lyme vaccine on the horizon, says new study

Lyme disease is a dreaded disease caused by the bite of an infected tick. The only way to prevent it is by not getting bitten by the tick. However, this is not a practical recommendation, since even today about 300,000 thousand people are diagnosed with this infection, in the US alone, and over 100,000 in Europe, each year.

17 Oct 2019

Summertime safety guidelines for children

Summer weather makes it much easier to motivate your kids to get off the couch and away from their screens. But while summer is a great time for families to spend time enjoying the outdoors, it is also the time of year when kids age 14 and younger are most frequently injured.

20 Jun 2019

Experimental antiviral drug cures mice infected with deadly tick-borne virus

Only a few cases of the newly discovered Bourbon virus have been reported, and two of them ended in death, partly because no specific treatments are available for the tick-borne illness.

14 Jun 2019