Mosquitoes are a big part of the ecosystem, but often are a nuisance as they bite and feed off of us. Their bites cause itchy red bumps and spread infections and allergies in our bodies. But have you ever wondered why they bite certain people more than others? While some people are plagued by mosquito bites, others barely notice them. Here are some interesting facts about mosquitoes that you must know about!

1. Carbon Dioxide:

Mosquitoes are attracted to a certain smell that emits from the human body that is present in the human skin and sweat, mosquitoes can sense the carbon dioxide or CO2 we breathe out. The more active you are, the more CO2 you emit and the more mosquitoes will be attracted to you. Researchers are still investigating the cause of the variation of body odour that brings them to you, possibly genetics or certain bacteria. The unique combination of sweat and skin bacteria creates a scent that mosquitoes find irresistible. Some chemicals in sweat, like lactic acid and ammonia, are especially attractive to them.

2. Colours

While the reason isn't fully understood, mosquitoes seem to be drawn to dark colours like black more than lighter ones. So, ditch the dark outfit next time you're in mosquito territory. It has been noted that mosquitoes are more likely to leave lighter colours alone.

3. Heat and Vapour

Mosquitoes can detect your body's heat and water vapour, acting like a beacon guiding them right to you. So next time you're feeling sweaty, be aware you might be attracting a lot of mosquitoes. If you are working out or doing something that is making you sweat and your body heat rise, the mosquitoes nearby will be instantly attracted to you. Even mosquitoes are careful about who they pick as a host, some studies even suggest that they like a certain body temperature to feed off of.

An interesting fact about mosquitoes is that they can learn to like a host. They have their own preferences and if they meet a certain person who fits their criteria they might be the next host they move onto. In an older study, it showed that 20 per cent of people with mosquito-borne diseases accounted for 80 per cent of diseases transmitted in the population. They suggest that they only bite a certain set of people within the population.

4. Other factors:

Studies suggest mosquitoes might learn to prefer certain people based on things like what you've been drinking. In a 2002 study, there could be many reasons they like alcohol to making your body temperature high etc. Even pregnant women seem to be extra attractive to them due to higher body temperature and CO2 output.

Chickenpox vaccines in UK is now available for all young children on the NHS. This is the first time such protection against chickenpox has been offered. The vaccine will combine with the existing MMR jab, which is given at 12 and 18 month of age that is already known to protect against measles, mumps and rubella. Children up to the age of six can catch up on doses when invited.

What Is The New Chickenpox Vaccine?

The new vaccine is called the MMRV vaccine, where the V stands for varicella, this is another name for chickenpox. It is also expected to reduce the many thousands of families affected by the infection each year and prevent the most severe cases. As of now, parents would have to pay £200 to buy a vaccine privately to protect their children.

From January 1, the MMRV vaccine was introduced into the standard list of children's vaccinations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Scotland announcing a rollout start date in early January.

How Common Is Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is very common among young children. Some of the common symptoms include itchiness, spotty rash which blisters then scabs over. Children could feel unwell for several days along with fever and muscle aches.

"For some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal," said Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunization at the UK Health Security Agency.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus, which is why the letter “V” has now been added to the standard MMR vaccine. The illness mainly affects children, but anyone can catch it at any age.

Also Read: NHS Rolls Out Chickenpox Vaccine For Kids— What Parents Should Know

During the pandemic, chickenpox cases fell sharply due to lockdowns and reduced social contact. As a result, experts believe natural immunity to the virus across the population remains lower than usual.

Although uncommon, complications can include serious bacterial infections such as group A streptococcus, brain swelling known as encephalitis, lung inflammation called pneumonitis, and even strokes. Very young babies under four weeks old face a higher risk of severe illness, as do adults who have never had chickenpox before.

Why Is The NHS Rolling It Out Now?

Until now, chickenpox vaccination was not routinely offered to all children because of long-standing concerns about shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus, which can lie dormant in the nervous system for years before reactivating later in life, often when immunity weakens due to age, illness, or stress.

In 2009, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization decided against a nationwide rollout, fearing it could increase shingles cases among middle-aged adults. At the time, it was thought that natural exposure to chickenpox helped protect against shingles later on. More recent research from the United States, however, has challenged and largely dismissed that theory, paving the way for the NHS decision.

Micro-habits. What are they? Many claim that these micro-habits can, in fact transform your life. Every new year, we come up with goals and ambitions, while some changes could be long lasting ones, some are small, almost like mundane habits. These habits are not much demanding, but they can fit into your lives seamlessly and change your life, for good.

They do not bring instant transformation, but could help you stay healthier and in fact, live longer.

Here are some micro-habits that you too can adopt.

Movement

Ensure that movement is non-negotiable in your plan. There have been many studies that say that you no longer need 10,000 steps to achieve your fitness goal. In fact, 4,000 steps per day could help you stay fitter. Your fitness journey could start by ensuing that you ensure your body is under movement, whether it is step count, light stretching between meeting and long hour at desk or ditching that escalator or elevator for stairs.

Light Is A Must

Make sure you give expose yourself to enough light. Natural light is important for your body's circadian rhythm. This also supports better sleep, better mood and sharper focus.

Coffee, But Timely

Your body has cortisol that is naturally released in the morning. This hormone helps you to wake up. However, drinking coffee too early could interfere this rhythm, and you may find yourself crashing later in the day. Make sure you drink water and keep yourself hydrated.

Mindful Eating

Ensure that whenever you are having a meal, you are eating without distraction. This also helps you regulate your appetite and you become more aware of your hunger as your body is better able to give the fullness cues.

A Set Bedtime

Try to ensure consistency of when you sleep. If you sleep at the same time each night, it can help you strengthen your circadian rhythm. This consistency will also affect your mood, concentration and energy. The best part, this will help you avoid the social jetlag.

Read: Not Boarded Any Flight And Still Monday Feels Like A Jetlag? You Are Not Alone

Breakaway From Alcohol

While there is no safe limit for alcohol consumption, if you are pressured about long-term leaving alcohol, try to give yourself a break. Try a 7-day no alcohol week, every now and then.

Listen To Your Cravings

If you are craving something salty, chances are your body lacks magnesium. There are many ways that craving tells you a lot about your body. Ensure that you run a full-body check to know what your body lacks. Fulfill these lacks with supplements, however, do make sure that these supplements are prescribed by your GP.

Read Labels

Mindful eating also comes when you start reading the labels of the food items you are buying. This way, you can know what you are putting in your gut system. Pay special attention for added sugars, processed food, and more.

Keep Your Gut-health Healthy

Go for pro-biotics, easy breakfasts like fermented rice, yogurt, khimchi and more. There are many studies that show the connection between gut health and rest of the body. If you keep your gut healthy, you will keep your body healthy too.

Timely Screening

A routine screening would help you stay one-step ahead of any disease. The key is that early diagnosis could cure the disease sooner without reducing the quality of life.

Hundreds of thousands of children are set to receive an additional vaccine under the NHS routine childhood immunisation programme. Health officials have confirmed it will be given alongside the existing MMR jab, which protects children in England against measles, mumps and rubella.

Chicken pox Vaccine Starts By NHS

The decision follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and will see the current MMR jab replaced with a combined MMRV vaccine. This single injection protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. Studies estimate that chickenpox in childhood leads to around £24 million a year in lost earnings and productivity across the UK. Alongside reducing this impact, the rollout is expected to save the NHS about £15 million each year in treatment costs linked to the illness.

Dr Claire Fuller, National Medical Director for NHS England, said: “This marks a very positive step for children and families, offering protection against chickenpox for the first time and strengthening the range of routine vaccinations we already give to help shield children from serious diseases.

“From now on, the combined vaccine covering measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox will be offered at children’s routine vaccination appointments. This will help keep children healthier, prevent illness caused by these highly infectious viruses, and support the NHS shift from treating sickness to preventing it, while keeping more children safe and in school.”

Recent figures show that around half of children will have chickenpox by the age of four, with nine in ten catching it before they turn ten. Children who develop chickenpox are usually advised to stay away from school until all spots have crusted over, which typically happens about five days after the rash appears.

With the new vaccine in place, fewer children are expected to miss time at nursery or school. This should also reduce the amount of work parents need to take off to look after them.

Who Can Get The Chickenpox Vaccine On The NHS?

Protection against chickenpox is being offered through a new combined vaccine known as MMRV, which replaces the existing MMR jab. The MMRV vaccine protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, the virus that causes chickenpox.

• Children born after 1 January 2026 will automatically be offered two doses of the MMRV vaccine, given at 12 months and again at 18 months.
• A catch-up programme will also provide one or two doses for older children, depending on when they were born:
• children born on or after 1 January 2025 will be offered two doses, one at 12 months and one at 18 months
• children born between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 will be offered two doses, one at 18 months and another at 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 September 2022 and 30 June 2024 will be offered one dose at 3 years and 4 months
• children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 will be offered a single dose later in 2026
• GP practices will contact families directly to arrange vaccination appointments when they are due.

How Does The New Chickenpox Vaccination Work?

Specialists say adding the varicella vaccine to the NHS childhood immunisation schedule will significantly cut the number of people who get chickenpox, resulting in far fewer severe cases.

While the vaccine does not guarantee lifelong immunity, it greatly lowers the chances of catching chickenpox or developing a serious form of the illness. Serious side effects, including severe allergic reactions, are extremely uncommon.

The vaccine is a live vaccine, meaning it contains a weakened form of the chickenpox virus. Because of this, it is not recommended for people with weakened immune systems due to conditions such as HIV or treatments like chemotherapy.

The change brings the UK in line with countries that already include routine chickenpox vaccination, such as Germany, Canada, Australia and the United States.

In the past, there were concerns that vaccinating children against chickenpox could lead to an increase in shingles later in life, but a large long-term study from the US has since shown this is not the case.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government, recommended the introduction of the MMRV vaccine for all children in November 2023.

The government confirmed plans to roll out the MMRV vaccine in August 2025, after new figures showed that none of England’s main childhood vaccinations reached the 95 percent uptake target in 2024 to 2025.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, 91.9 percent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine. This figure was unchanged from 2023 to 2024 and remains the lowest level recorded since 2010 to 2011.