Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes include: malaria, dengue, filariasis, West Nile virus, chikungunya, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis, Western equine encephalitis, Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis and Zika fever. That pesky little mosquito is known as a VECTOR. It seems harmless enough, buzzes around our heads, lands on our arms and legs and starts sucking our blood...well, his proboscis is transferring diseases into our bodies at the same time! The newest and least understood virus that is being transferred to humans is the Zika virus. First found in Africa in the 1940s, this virus has spread to South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Most people don't know they have Zika. The symptoms are mild and usually run their course in less than a week. You may have a fever, joint or muscle pain,pinkeye, or a rash. Malaria is the oldest mosquito bite illness passed along by mosquitoes carrying a parasite. More than 600,000 deaths worldwide each year. No one has gotten sick from malaria parasites in the U.S. since the early 1950s. But small outbreaks have happened when people who got infected in warm, wet parts of the world came back to the U.S. Countries around the equator in Africa and tropical islands in the Pacific, such as Papua New Guinea, have the most cases of malaria. You can take drugs to help prevent malaria when you travel. Researchers are working on a vaccine. Many mosquitoes live for 2 to 3 months. Most will die or hibernate when the temperature drops below 50 degrees. In the U.S., mosquito season begins in early spring, peaks in the summer, and ends with the first freeze. In parts of the world with warmer weather, they may be active year-round.
The best way to prevent the illnesses they spread is to avoid mosquito bites.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |