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Articles on Mosquito-borne diseases

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Could the sounds from our smartphones repel or attract mosquitoes? Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology)

The buzz from your smartphone won’t stop mosquito bites

The sounds of mosquitoes may be annoying to many but tuning into their musical whines could help design new mosquito traps. Just don’t expect sounds from your smartphone to protect you from bites!
Mosquitoes are the main vectors for dengue and zika. Insecticides are our best weapon against them. Anja Jonsson/Flickr

Mozzies are evolving to beat insecticides – except in Australia

Australian mosquitoes, unlike their Asian and American counterparts, can still be controlled by insecticides like pyrethroids. What lessons are there for managing pesticide resistance in insects?
Scientists sort through thousands of mosquitoes each year to help stop people getting sick from mosquito bites.

The worst year for mosquitoes ever? Here’s how we find out

Worst year for mosquitoes ever? How do scientists catch and count mosquitoes to work out why mosquito populations fluctuate from year to year? Can we predict outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease?
For viruses like dengue, being injected with the pathogen as in a vaccine can open the door to secondary infections. from www.shutterstock.com.au

Explainer: what are antibodies and why are viruses like dengue worse the second time?

Our immune system protects us but when it comes to some mosquito-borne disease, it can work against us. What are the implications for the development of a Zika virus vaccine?
Most cases of Zika are asymptomatic. Airman Magazine/U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro/Flickr

Zika virus: Only a few small outbreaks likely to occur in the continental US

A computer model suggests that while more cases of Zika can be expected in the continental U.S. outbreaks will probably be small and are not projected to spread.
A common mosquito in coastal regions of Australia, Aedes vigilax. Could it be spreading the pathogen that causes Buruli ulcer? Mr Stephen Doggett (NSW Health Pathology)

Are mosquitoes to blame for the spread of ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria?

A rise in cases of the mysterious “Bairnsdale ulcer” in coastal Victoria has health authorities on alert and scientists investigating the role of mosquitoes in the spread.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the CDC in San Juan. Alvin Baez/Reuters

Understanding mosquitoes can help us find better ways to kill them

While no one likes getting bitten by mosquitoes, you might be surprised (and even a little fascinated) at the complex adaptions mosquitoes have developed to locate their favorite food sources.
A book about Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is seen next to larvae in a laboratory conducting research on preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, at the Ministry of Public Health in Guatemala City. Josue Decavele/Reuters

Zika: Aedes aegypti mosquitoes love biting humans, and that’s why they spread viruses so well

Aedes aegypti is adapted to live in close proximity with humans, and this close association likely contributes to the severity of the Zika outbreak.

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