Summers here in Southern Nevada are, for better or worse, famously hot (but it’s a dry heat). 

And while locals have come to expect scorching July and August temperatures, one pesky hallmark of summer that we’ve largely been able to avoid here in the desert – until now, at least – is mosquitoes. 

The biting bugs – now thriving in areas throughout the Las Vegas Valley – are more than just a nuisance. They can carry disease and pose an unexpected yet growing public health threat to our region. An invasive species of the insect arrived in Southern Nevada a few years ago, and conditions have made it possible for this particularly aggressive mosquito to spread quickly. 

Finding solutions to this emerging issue is where UNLV professor Louisa Messenger and her team with the university’s Parasitology and Vector Biology Lab come in. 

This dedicated team of faculty and student researchers is actively monitoring the movement of mosquitoes throughout the region, down to the zip code. They’re also tracing the genetic origins of mosquito-borne diseases, exploring methods – from policies to pesticides – to limit their growth and continued spread, and they’re enlisting the public as “citizen scientists” to collect samples, conduct surveillance, and become a part of the solution. 

I’m incredibly proud of the work of Professor Messenger and her team, and I invite you to read more about how they’re seamlessly blending education, research, and service in their pursuit of solutions to a quiet public health threat that impacts us all. 

Warm Wishes, 

Chris Heavey
Interim UNLV President