Authorities have been warned about five virus families that could cause future pandemics. Here are snapshots of the diseases each can cause and why we should be worried.
Mosquitoes are commonplace in summer but where do they go once the weather cools? They don’t completely disappear but find fascinating ways to survive the winter.
Summer is no fun when mosquitoes are biting. Insect repellent creams, sprays, and lotions are safe and effective but there are alternatives. Here’s what works and what doesn’t!
The more water, the more mosquito eggs are laid, and the more mosquitoes end up buzzing about. But to spread disease to people, they first need to bite infected wildlife.
Mozzies feed on many native species, including the Nankeen Night Heron.
Janis Otto/flikr
Thousands of Australians contract Ross River virus each year. Mozzies can infect us with their bites, but only after they’ve bitten an infected animal host.
Detecting viruses in wild-caught mosquitoes provides intimate detail of disease transmission cycles.
University of Washington SPH/Flickr
We monitor mosquitoes to help predict and control virus outbreaks. And a new technique for collecting mosquito saliva from the field has made the process both more sensitive and inexpensive.
Will climate change cause mosquito-borne diseases to spread?
Steve Doggett
Mosquitoes need blood to survive. And what better place to get a good meal than a slow, tasty human. Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying. Every year around 5,000 Australians get sick following a mosquito bite…
The pest hides out in pot plants and rainwater tanks, and feeds on humans and pets.
Clivid/Flickr
An Australian native mosquito has for the first time been detected in urban California, in the latest wave of mozzies hitching rides to new destinations. While it is unlikely to pose a significant health…
The saltmarsh mosquito, Aedes vigilax, transmits Ross River virus in many coastal regions of Australia.
Mr Stephen Doggett (Medical Entomology, Pathology West - ICPMR Westmead)
Ross River virus infection is the most commonly reported mosquito-borne disease in Australia, with more than 4,000 cases of illness are reported every year. Activity has been recorded from every state…
A primary carrier of the Chikungunya virus, the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) could easily hop to mainland Australia from Torres Strait islands.
Camponotus Vagus
Chikungunya is a virus transmitted to people by mosquitoes; it usually causes a non-fatal but debilitating illness. Despite thousands of people being infected each year in Africa, Asia and Melanesia, chikungunya…