In The News: School of Public Health
No, you haven't been imagining things — you are getting more mosquito bites in Las Vegas. Over the last few years, our once proudly mosquito-free desert city is becoming a buzzy bloodsucker's destination, and what's worse, some of them carry deadly diseases like West Nile Virus. So today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with ÐÔÊӽ紫ý professor Louisa Messenger to learn why our mosquito population is exploding, and what we can do about it. Don't forget to take Dr. Messenger's survey on your experience with mosquitoes.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-lasting autoimmune disease, meaning that one’s own immune cells start attacking the joints writes Dr. Manoj Sharma, Professor of Social and Behavioral Health and Internal Medicine,
Mosquito-borne diseases have surged to record levels this year. Cases of West Nile Virus, a disease that can cause paralysis, were up 40 percent compared to normal this year, with about 770 infections recorded, most of these being a severe illness where the virus has invaded the brain.
Opening up your closet to a flurry of flying insects is never a fun surprise. It’s not just unsightly—moths can eat away at clothes, ruining your wardrobe, and may even lay their eggs, causing the problem to fester.
With all the buzz this summer about mosquitoes in Southern Nevada, a group from ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s School of Public Health wants to take a bite at helping control the exploding population of the biting pests.
According to a peer-reviewed journal article published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology (2023), more than 200 million people worldwide take metformin. According to Statista (2024), close to 90 million prescriptions for metformin were recently prescribed in the United States since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994. This drug is the primary first-line foundational drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Metformin has distinct advantages for treating type 2 diabetes because of its proven effectiveness, low risk of causing low blood sugar levels while on treatment, no adverse effects related to weight gain, a long therapeutic track record of safety, and affordability (low cost).
The sound that can turn a quiet night on the patio into pure annoyance is becoming more common in Las Vegas, and experts say as the city grows, so does its mosquito population.
ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’s School of Public Health wants to hear from Las Vegas valley residents about the mosquito problem in their neighborhood.
We’re surrounded by a wave of breakthroughs—AI-driven diagnostics, gene therapies, wearable tech and mRNA vaccines—ushering in what many hail as a golden era of medical progress. But as I’ve learned over years of working alongside policymakers, healthcare professionals, innovators and change-makers, there’s a sobering truth beneath the excitement: Innovation, no matter how transformative, remains a privilege unless it is funded, scaled and equitably distributed.
As Clark County’s mosquito population grows each summer, an increasing number of valley residents are reporting mosquito sightings in their neighborhoods.
Recently, in late August 2025, India enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill as a law. This is a great public health victory exhibiting resolute political will against vested profit-making interests in favor of public health and is especially beneficial for the middle class, youth, and women of India. Such policies need to be formulated and implemented by all countries worldwide. India has taken this lead by sheer fortitude shown by the Prime Minister Modi's administration.
As summer winds down, researchers at the ÐÔÊӽ紫ý, are looking into mosquito data. ÐÔÊӽ紫ý’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.