In The News: Department of Environmental and Global Health

As Clark County’s mosquito population grows each summer, an increasing number of valley residents are reporting mosquito sightings in their neighborhoods.

As summer winds down, researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, are looking into mosquito data. UNLV’s School of Public Health is asking individuals in the Las Vegas Valley to fill out a survey about bugs inhabiting neighborhoods in the area.

A travel advisory issued over the deadly chikungunya virus has been expanded as it continues to spread around the world. The virus, which is spread by the Aedes mosquito, can cause sudden, agonizing joint pain in the hands and feet that can be so severe it leaves sufferers unable to move normally for months.
Mosquitoes are surprisingly taking over a region of Las Vegas, sparking concerns amongst experts in the area. The pesky bugs, known to spread diseases across the globe, are defying ecological odds by surviving in the desert climate, the experts have warned.

The United States has issued a travel warning for China due to an outbreak of the chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne illness. Public health providers in China are currently using sprayers and drones to combat more than 7,000 cases linked to mosquitoes.

A mosquito-borne virus that leaves victims in crippling pain and has triggered Covid-era restrictions in China is already in the US, experts say.

On July 29th, the Southern Nevada Health District announced its first positive West Nile sample of the season, among mosquitoes found just south of the Harry Reid Airport. No human cases have been reported, yet. While that means 2025’s mosquito season has been milder than last year’s, which recorded a five-year high of mosquito borne illness, there’s other worrying news on the horizon.

This mosquito season's first West Nile virus-positive bugs have been trapped in the southern Las Vegas Valley, the Southern Nevada Health District announced on Tuesday.

Mosquitoes are becoming harder to tackle in Southern Nevada. “Once it adapts its explosive,” said Dr. Louisa Messenger as she showed us a timelapse of mosquito activity in Southern Nevada. The time lapse was from 2019- present.

Mosquitoes are becoming an increasingly persistent problem across Southern Nevada, with rising populations and growing concerns about their impact.

Not all insects can survive Las Vegas’ harsh summer heat, but an increasing number of mosquitoes are thriving in the Las Vegas Valley — and building immunity to pesticides.
Gardens attract all kinds of pests, but you don't have to turn to harsh chemicals to get rid of those uninvited guests. Certain plants like marigolds, lavender, and basil could do the trick, but they do have their limitations.