Aedes
Deforestation’s Hidden Toll: Amplifying Disease Risk Worldwide
In the last couple of decades, the lush rainforest around the remote village of Meliandou in the heart of Guinea has become patchier. Animals, like bats, saw their habitats dwindle and in a quest for survival, they sought refuge in closer proximity to human environments, making the boundaries between species thinner. A hollowed-out tree in the middle of the village became home to a colony of bats.
About 50 meters from the same tree, in the heart of Meliandou, a two-year-old boy named Emile lived with his family. In a matter of days, Emile fell ill with an unknown virus, developed a high fever, and died. Soon the same virus, that scientists now believe Emile got from the bats, took the lives of his sister, mother, and grandmother. The village, surrounded by a ring of forest, unexpectedly became the epicenter of a devastating outbreak that would leave an indelible mark.
Aedes aegypti: Beyond the Black and White
One look at Aedes aegypti gives an immediate impression of its menacing nature. The telltale dark and white bands on the mosquito’s legs and other body parts bring a sense of foreboding and hardship. Sleek, silent, and stealthy, Ae. aegypti is the primary vector for several important, debilitating, and sometimes fatal human diseases including dengue, Zika virus, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The species is cause for mounting concern on many levels, as its biology, behavior, and ability to adapt have made Aedes aegypti one of the most pervasive and daunting public health challenges in the modern world.
The first mosquito ever associated with the spread of disease, Ae. aegypti is also the most studied of all mosquito species.1 From its humble beginnings in the African wild to a footprint that spans the globe, this durable and opportunistic insect has become a formidable opponent of vector control efforts worldwide.
What Happened with Zika
Five powerful positives that emerged in the wake of the 2016 Zika outbreakThink back two years to 2016. Never a day went by when there …
Long-Term Project Seeks To Build Guidelines for Area-Wide Asian Tiger Mosquito Control
A long-term project to determine the best methods of controlling Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is in the third of at least five years …
Full-Scale Assault Now Under Way as Key West District Battles Dengue
Swarms of them come from near and far, creating a furor in Key West, Florida. “They” are not mosquitoes. They are representatives of the national …
Container Species Control in Mercer County
Area-wide larviciding using truck-mounted low-volume technology will be among the recommendations from a five-year, $3.8 million U.S. Department of Agriculture project to control the Asian …
Mixed-Brood Habitats Bring Challenges, But New Control Options Offer Solution
Set between San Francisco Bay to the west and the San Joaquin River delta to the north and east, Contra Costa County, California, includes densely …
Larval Source Management, Larviciding Help Control Invasive Species in the Netherlands
Rapid action to implement control measures stemmed the spread of three invasive mosquito species – at least for the time being – after routine surveillance …
Pinellas County Single-brood Trials Yield
Asynchronous, single-brood floodwater mosquitoes present a unique set of challenges in Florida’s Pinellas County. Not only do larvae within the Aedes and Culex populations hatch …
California takes a Proactive Approach to Managing Resistance Issues
Insecticide resistance is among the most challenging issues facing public health professionals, not only in California but around the world. As disease pressure increases, so …