Alan Clements obituary

My colleague Alan Clements, who has died aged 93 of Covid-19, was a medical entomologist whose research was dedicated to investigating novel methods of mosquito control.

Mosquitoes get a bad press. They transmit tropical pathogens that lead to 700,000 deaths per year and their persistent bites can be unbearable. However, their role in the spread of diseases such as malaria is entirely passive. In addition, mosquitoes are a key source of food for a wide range of birds, bats, insects and fish. The more we learn about mosquito biology, the greater our chances of reducing or even eliminating mosquito-borne diseases.