Mozzie spray disease alert

INSECT repellents used against mosquitoes could actually lead to an increase in their numbers and an explosion of the diseases they carry, a study warns.

Common ingredient picaridin is building up in surface water and can also kill the insects’ natural predators – including the spotted salamander, which feasts on mosquito larvae.

Dr Rafael Almeida, of New York’s Cornell University, said rising numbers “increase mosquito-borne disease risk worldwide”.