NZBEL 2026

Kia ora koutou katoa, It’s been a hot and humid start to the year, and mosquito activity has been ramping up fast! This month, our focus shifts to reporting suspected exotic mosquitoes, outlining what to look for and the steps to take if you think you’ve encountered an unusual species. In the news we have a selection including; how new malaria tools helped save an estimated one million lives in 2024, while rising drug resistance threatens to slow progress;  ground breaking work from Griffith University on a promising vaccine to protect against chikungunya; explore new research showing how shrinking forests are pushing mosquitoes to feed more on humans, increasing disease risk; and a report on the detection of African-lineage Zika virus in free-ranging primates in southern Brazil — raising important questions about viral circulation and spill over. Happy reading!