Climate change, deforestation, and urbanization are some of the major risk factors behind the increasing number of outbreaks of viruses such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya around the world, warns a study by the World Health Organization. The study says the incidence of infections caused by these mosquito-borne illnesses, which thrive in tropical and subtropical climates, has grown dramatically in recent decades. The report says cases of dengue have increased from just over half a million globally in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. A female Aedes albopictus (Stegomyia albopicta) , also known as the (Asian) tiger mosquito or forest mosquito is in the process of acquiring a blood meal from a human host at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 13/04/2023.
What makes a person extra repulsive to a mosquito? It might be the scent of coconut.
That was one of the more curious findings of a small study published Wednesday in the journal iScience, which looked at whether different scented soaps made people more or less attractive to mosquitoes.
They found that the answer wasn’t as simple as use this soap, not that one. Instead, the interplay of scents between human bodies and the products they used proved to be much more complicated.
“It’s a simple question with a very complex answer,” said the lead study author, Clement Vinauger, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech University who studies the molecular genetics of how mosquitoes choose their prey. “What really matters is how the chemicals in the soap combine with the chemicals of the individual person.”
That could explain why coconut seemed to repel mosquitoes, while citrusy scents known to repel the pesky insects instead appeared to attract them.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
