In addition to viruses such as Dengue and Zika, Aedes mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting roundworms that can cause elephantiasis. New work has shown that these worms can affect the behaviour and fecundity of mosquitoes in ways that may change our ability to model disease transmission patterns.
The International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) hosted a meeting exploring aspects of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) on NTD control; ISNTD Water. Below I have highlighted some of the NTD and WASH aspects that were presented and discussed at the meeting.
Cedrol, a mosquito oviposition attractant, has been found in the rhizomes of pond plants. This discovery could complement existing vector control strategies.
Yesterday, November 3, 2016, was the 1st official One Health Day, devoted to bring global attention to the need to consider the health of people, pets, animals, plants and our environment as one single system, instead of disjoint pieces. There are no better examples for diseases in need of such approach than those caused by vector-borne pathogens. The vector-borne disease that has been in the news most during the last year was of course Zika virus. There have been a lot of developments lately in our understanding of the level of association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly, as well as the mechanism by which Zika virus creates damage. In addition, numerous approaches have been proposed and are in development to control either the virus or the mosquitoes that transmit it. Below, we provide an update on these issues as well as discuss the conflicting predictions for what the future holds for this pesky arthropod-borne virus.