Zika fever

• The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound and far-reaching impact on infectious disease diagnostics worldwide.
• North America, encompassing both the United States and Canada, currently holds the largest share in the global emerging infectious disease diagnostics market.
• Some of the common bacterial infections include respiratory infections such as tuberculosis and streptococcal infections and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
• Hospitals and clinics play a critical role in the field of infectious disease diagnostics, serving as important centers for patient evaluation and testing.

• While some alien species actually benefit humans, the UN organisation estimates 10% threaten nature and people.
• Alien species are plants, animals or other organisms that are introduced to new regions by human activities.

Growing threat

• Most impacts are reported on land (75%), with fewer in freshwater (14%) and marine (10%) habitats.
• More than 2,300 invasive alien species occur in indigenous territories, threatening the quality of life and cultural identities of millions of people.
• The threat of invasive alien species will loom larger in future due to increasing trade and travel.

Taking control

• An effective response to each invasive species will depend on where it is happening and how it is spreading.
• Although 80% of countries have targets for managing invasive alien species, only 17% have specific national laws or regulations.

Invasive aliens can be beneficial

• The recent assessment acknowledged that perceptions of their threat can vary depending on who you ask, which can complicate their management.
• The report does not offer guidance for these cases, but assessing the benefits and costs of each alien species is a good place to start.
• For example, feral cattle, sheep, goats and pigs on the Caribbean island of Montserrat provide meat for local cuisines.

• The global electric bug zappers market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% from 2023 to 2031.
• The rise in vector-borne diseases, transmitted by insects and bugs, is a significant driver for the demand for electric bug zappers.
• The expansion of the e-commerce market is expected to further fuel the growth of the electric bug zapper market.
• Overall, the electric bug zapper market is poised for growth due to the increasing need for vector control and the expansion of e-commerce, providing consumers with easy access to bug zappers and driving innovation in the industry.

Now that summer is in full swing, mosquitoes have come out across the United States. The use of mosquito repellents can protect both your health and sanity this summer. While mosquitoes leave bothersome, itchy bites on your skin, they can also pose a serious and sometimes deadly risk to your health. When a mosquito bites you, it may transmit harmful pathogens that cause dangerous diseases like malaria, Dengue fever, Zika and West Nile.

Avoiding mosquito bites

• One single blood meal can give rise to about 100 mosquito eggs that hatch into wiggling larvae.
• Our team at the New Mexico State University Molecular Vector Physiology Laboratory has studied different types of mosquito repellents and their efficacy for over a decade.

All about repellents

• Some of the oldest records of the use of mosquito repellents date back to early Egyptian and Roman history.
• Scientists understand how certain repellents like DEET work at the molecular level, but for many of them, it is still unknown why exactly they repel mosquitoes.

Testing repellents

• For some products, testing was as simple as putting a volunteer’s treated arm into a cage with 25 mosquitoes and waiting for the first mosquito bite.
• For others, like citronella candles, we used a slow-speed wind tunnel and put a candle or device between a person and a cage of mosquitoes.

Mosquito repellents that don’t work

• Even if they are loaded with repellents, they can’t protect your whole body from mosquito bites.
• In fact, when our lab tested one of these devices, we found a slight increase in mosquito attraction to the wearer.
• Dietary supplements – vitamin B, garlic and so on – don’t work.
• Light-based repellents don’t work.

Mosquito repellents that work

And here is our ranking of what does work, starting with the best repellent/active ingredient.
Other essential oils – some work, some not so much. We applied 20 different essential oils in a 10% essential oil lotion mixture to volunteers’ skin. Here’s what we found:
• Based on our study, we recommend using repellents with the active ingredient DEET if you live in or are traveling to regions with a high risk of vector-borne disease transmission.
• However, plant-based repellents will work just fine to prevent nuisance mosquito bites in low-risk areas, as long as you reapply them as needed.