Mosquito Borne Viruses

It Can't Hurt To Ask

Are you the main mozzie attraction at a barbeque, coming home with dozens of bites? Or have you had the unfortunate experience of contracting a mosquito borne virus?

Regardless of your history with mozzies, all Queenslanders need to know how to minimise their exposure to mosquito bites. In this episode, senior medical entomologist Scott Lyons, medical entomologist Brian Montgomery and Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Dr John Gerrard, take us through why mozzies bite, why the bites can be so irritating, which viruses Queensland mosquitoes might carry and most importantly, how to avoid them.

There’s also a neat science experiment, Zika Mozzie Seeker. you might be able to get involved in, and a few mozzie myths to bust, like whether mosquitoes really do prefer some people over others, and how different mosquito repellents work.