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The Aedes aegypti mosquito.Cancelling the Rio Olympics would do little to slow the spread of the Zika virus. That horse has bolted: more than 60 countries and territories already have Zika. It will soon be almost anywhere that its mosquito host lives.Now that the link with microcephaly is well established, becoming pregnant in any country with Zika carries a small but real risk of birth defects for the baby.In the 1970s, troubled by the risks of using pesticides, we took our eye off the fight ag …

New research suggests we could better understand mosquito-borne disease by looking closely at our itchy bites.Mosquitoes need blood. Unfortunately, they often get that blood from us; some of us are bitten more commonly than others. But mosquitoes aren’t flying syringes transporting droplets of infected blood from person to person. The mosquitoes need to be infected with a pathogen first before it can be passed on. And, more importantly, the mozzie’s spit must be infected.Bites and bumpsWhe …

Published: 3:33 pm, Sunday, 31 January 2016As the devastating impacts of Zika virus hit Latin America, Australia is preparing for a potential outbreak.http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2016/01...Health authorities have linked the virus, which in itself is only a mild disease, to microcephaly - which prevents foetus' brains from developing properly.There is no vaccine, and if a pregnant woman contracts the disease there is a chance their baby could be born with the rare and debilitating …

Scientists are trying to genetically engineer mosquitoes to stop the rapidly-spreading Zika virusLYDIA RAMSEYJAN 20 2016, 5:04 AM FACEBOOKTWITTERREDDITLINKEDINGOOGLE+A virus thatuntil this monthhad never been in the US has beenconnected to a case of brain abnormalityin Hawaii.The mosquito-borne Zika virus is causing severe problems in Brazil, where it appears to be connected to serious birth defects.To stop Zika’s spread, a company called Oxitec is planning on expanding its genetically-engineer …

Garden tips: mosquito moves; clay soils; fertilisers; tree suckersTHE AUSTRALIANOCTOBER 24, 201512:00AMPrintSave for laterHelen Young Lifestyle columnistSydneyTo prevent being bitten, plant citronella grass (picture: Hanna/Wikipedia)Source:SuppliedWe seem to get a lot of mosquitoes around in summer. Are there any plants that will discourage them? -Jayne Neubauer, AdelaideMosquitoes breed in standing water so, most important, eliminate all sources of stagnant water such as old pots and container …