Insecticide-Resistant Mosquitoes Surge Threatens Las Vegas
(MENAFN) Mosquito populations are surging across the Las Vegas Valley, defying the area's arid desert climate due to evolving species and environmental changes, according to researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“People aren’t wrong that mosquitoes shouldn’t really thrive in desert conditions, but it’s clear that the particular set of species that we do have in Clark County has adapted to the local ecology,” said Louisa Messenger, assistant professor in UNLV’s department of environmental and global health, in comments reported by media.
Once considered unsuitable for mosquito proliferation, the region is now home to several resilient species — notably Culex, known carriers of West Nile virus, and Aedes aegypti, the main vector for dengue.
Messenger’s team has detected a disturbing trend: local mosquito populations are developing resistance to commonly used insecticides. This development presents a growing threat in Las Vegas, a city that sees tens of millions of international visitors annually.
“It is a little bit of a ticking time bomb,” Messenger warned.
Her concern is amplified by a record-breaking spike in dengue cases throughout the Americas. In 2024 alone, over 13 million infections were reported across North and South America, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“In Vegas, we have more than 48 million visitors coming through our doors every year from all over the planet,” Messenger said. “It just takes a couple of mosquito bites to start local transmission.”
The rise in global temperatures and altered weather systems — both consequences of climate change — are enabling mosquitoes to thrive in new regions. These shifts increase the risk of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks in places historically considered low-risk, experts warn.
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