Mosquitoes

Climate change will bring mosquito-borne diseases to new regions

Climate change will bring mosquito-borne diseases to new regions

After a season that saw climbing mosquito populations, mosquito presence in the United States is beginning to decline.

As the summer’s record-breaking heat and storms led to above-average rainfall, mosquitoes were able to proliferate successfully. Ideal conditions for mosquitoes feature rainfall that produces pools of water in which they lay their eggs, according to an Environmental Protection Agencies study published in 2021. Mosquitoes also prefer humid conditions, which will intensify as climate change worsens. According to a 2018 release from Climate Central, a climate reporting resource, for every 1 degree Fahrenheit of warming, the humidity will increase by about four percent.

EEE in Massachusetts: South Hadley community at high risk level

EEE in Massachusetts: South Hadley community at high risk level

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is an extremely rare, mosquito-transmitted disease first identified in Massachusetts in 1938. According to 7News Boston, there had been seven reported cases of EEE in Massachusetts as of Sept. 6. 

New genetically modified mosquito species created to combat malaria

New genetically modified mosquito species created to combat malaria

BY VIVIAN LIVESAY ’21

A team of biologists at the Imperial College London have created genetically engineered mosquitoes that they believe could eliminate malaria by targeting a disease-carrying mosquito species, specifically Anopheles gambiae, which is native to sub-Saharan Africa.