Insect Repellent News and Research

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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

Tips to stay safe and well when temperatures soar

Dehydration, sunburn, heatstroke, insect bites, rashes, and lacerations – summer can spell health meltdown with a seemingly endless list of unsightly, uncomfortable, and potentially lethal hazards.

24 May 2019

Staten Island severely infested with self-cloning Asian longhorned ticks

Staten Island residents have another reason to apply insect repellent and obsessively check for ticks this spring and summer: the population of a new, potentially dangerous invasive pest known as the Asian longhorned tick has grown dramatically across the borough, according to Columbia University researchers.

29 Mar 2019

Ways to stay safe while camping and hiking

When the weather heats up, many nature lovers head to a national park or forest for a summertime hiking or camping trip. A little preparation and an understanding of safety can go a long way to avoid potential pitfalls that come with enjoying Mother Nature.

19 Jul 2018

Few refreshers about how to stay healthy in summer

Life can be pretty good during the summer – especially for those who heed health advice about sun safety, staying hydrated and getting needed vaccinations before traveling abroad. To optimize the good times, here are few refreshers about how to stay healthy this summer.

7 Jun 2018

Lyme disease researcher dispels misconceptions about ticks and provides prevention tips

Lyme disease is now the most reported vector-borne disease in the United States and the CDC released a report showing that diseases from biting insects, ticks, and mosquitos in the U.S. have tripled since 2004.

25 May 2018

New test detects Zika antibodies with high specificity

A test that detects antibodies against Zika virus in samples of blood serum with high specificity - and hence a low risk of cross-reaction with related microorganisms such as dengue virus - is set to come on to the Brazilian market before 2018 is out.

28 Mar 2018

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

Zika virus is mutating so fast in Brazilian patients that different serotypes of the pathogen could appear in the near future, as is already the case with dengue virus. This would hinder the production of a vaccine and impair the effectiveness of the diagnostic tests already developed.

10 Oct 2017