Louisa Alexandra Messenger

Assistant Professor, School of Public Health
Expertise: Medical and veterinary parasitology, Medical and veterinary entomology, Global health, Vector-borne diseases, Neglected tropical diseases, Malaria, Chagas disease, Vector control, Molecular epidemiology, Genomics

Biography

Louisa Messenger is a UNLV School of Public Health researcher who specializes in the control of tropical infectious diseases transmitted by insects (vector-borne diseases). She is passionate about improving health outcomes for impoverished populations worldwide.

Her current research concentrates on developing and evaluating new insecticides, health interventions, and surveillance tools to interrupt malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa. An additional line of her research focuses on improving our understanding of Chagas disease dynamics among distinct epidemiological settings across Latin America.

Messenger has worked on research projects in more than 15 countries, and collaborated with organizations including the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and the World Health Organization. Prior to joining UNLV, she was a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, completed a two-year American Society for Microbiology post-doctoral fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, held a L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science UK and Ireland fellowship, and led a U.S. Agency for International Development malaria clinical trial in Tanzania.

Messenger's work has been featured in multiple media outlets, including Reuters and BBC Radio 4. Her research findings have been published by the Lancet, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Nature Scientific Reports and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Education

  • B.A., Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge
  • M.Sc., Medical Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Ph.D., Molecular Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

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Louisa Alexandra Messenger In The News

Everyday Health
Mosquito season is here and that means it’s time for us to start being vigilant about protecting ourselves from the pesky pests. While the most common side effect of a mosquito bite is an itchy red bump, mosquitoes can also spread dangerous diseases like West Nile, Lyme disease, Zika, dengue, and more.
K.T.N.V. T.V. ABC 13
The number of confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Clark County has risen again as mosquitoes positive for the virus are found in 44 Southern Nevada zip codes.
MonsterTalk
We’re joined by mosquito and disease expert Dr. Louisa Messenger of the Las Vegas PARAVEC lab. It turns out that gators and snakes aren’t the big danger in a swamp. And this monster isn’t constrained to swamps. In fact, it’s probably in your own backyard.
Las Vegas Weekly
The Southern Nevada Health District has confirmed the season’s first cases of West Nile virus, underscoring an urgent public health alert. According to a press release from the agency, a man in his 60s contracted the non-neuroinvasive form of the virus, while a man in his 70s faced the more severe neuroinvasive type, which causes inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), or inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).

Articles Featuring Louisa Alexandra Messenger

Students pass by Lied Library as they walk campus on the first day of Fall 2024 semester classes
Campus News | September 6, 2024

A collection of news highlights featuring students and faculty.

Josh Hawkins, UNLV
Campus News | July 3, 2024

News highlights featuring UNLV students and staff who made (refreshing) waves in the headlines.

Spring Flowers (Becca Schwartz)
Campus News | April 1, 2024

A roundup of the top news stories featuring UNLV students and faculty.

Students at Pida Plaza on the first day of classes (Josh Hawkins, UNLV).
Campus News | September 1, 2023

A roundup of prominent news stories highlighting university pride, research, and community collaboration.