How can the bite of a backyard mozzie in Australia make you sick?

By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney
Andrew Francis van den Hurk, Medical Entomologist, The University of Queensland

Mosquitoes will be loving the wet weather that’s hit the east coast of Australia over the last week.

Mosquito populations naturally increase in spring, especially when there is plenty of water left around to complete their breeding cycle. So it’s a good time to start thinking about where water might be collecting around your backyard.

The bites of backyard mozzies aren’t just annoying – they can also make us sick. So what pathogens, or bugs, can mosquitoes transmit to humans? And how do they do it?

What types of mosquito are found in our backyard?

Hundreds…

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