Mosquitoes are considered one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet because of their ability to spread deadly diseases. Research says that the insects kill more than one million people a year just through the transmission of malaria. Add to that the numbers of those sickened and killed by other mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, Black Fever, Filariasis and Chikungunya. Some insect and spider bites or stings can cause flu-like symptoms to develop within hours of a bite or sting.
These are some of the most prevalent diseases spread around the world by mosquito bites:
Zika Virus: The Zika virus is typically transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There is no vaccine, treatment or cure for the disease. Most people infected with Zika have symptoms like slight fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.
Malaria: Caused by parasites, primarily Plasmodium vivax. Female Anopheles mosquitoes pick up the parasites by feeding on infected humans. The parasite develops in a mosquito"s body for 10 to 18 days and then is passed on when the mosquito injects saliva while feeding.
Once in the human body, malaria parasites migrate to the liver, where they grow and multiply. Eventually the parasites move into the blood stream to continue developing in red blood cells. The symptoms are such as fevers, chills, sweating, headaches and other flu-like conditions.
Dengue Fever: This disease is also spread by Aedes mosquitoes in much the same way as other encephalitic viruses. A mosquito is able to transmit dengue about a week after biting an infected person. The symptoms are high fever, headaches, back and joint pain, rashes and eye pain. If the fever lasts up to a week and is followed by bruising and bleeding, those are symptoms of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever. Like most viruses, there is no specific treatment.
Chikungunya: Chikungunya fever is caused by a virus that is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Like Dengue, it is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The symptoms can include sudden fever, joint pain with or without swelling, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, lower back pain and a rash. There is currently no vaccine to prevent Chikungunya.
