*Mosquitoes and your Health*
*How Mosquitoes Transmit Diseases*
Mosquitoes are known to have transmitted causal organisms responsible for more disease-related deaths than any other insect through the diseases they spread.
You know how the females of some mosquito species are vampire-like? That's how they transmit diseases.
In the process of biting you to get a blood meal, mosquitoes release saliva which serves as an anti-coagulant, to prevent your blood from clotting so that their piercing mouth part ( the proboscis) does not get stuck in your body.
This saliva is recognized by the immune system as foreign, and white blood cells rush to the rescue.
This causes the swelling and itching.
This reaction can be very displeasing and irritating to you, but what's more unpleasant is that mosquitoes cause life threatening diseases through this populasucking nature.
If the saliva contains pathogens, they are immediately deposited in your body and you come down with an illness.
Some of these diseases, like malaria have been around and causing deaths for thousands of years, while others like zika virus and Chikungunya emerged only recently.
The most prominent mosquito-borne diseases are transmitted by three genera of mosquitoes-Anopheles, Culex and Aedes.
*Anopheles Mosquito*: They are the only known carriers of malaria. They also transmit filariasis and encephalitis.
Female Anopheles mosquitoes are popular because they transmit the ancient Malaria.
The fear of malaria has greatly reduced because treatment is now available.
It's been over 50 years since anti-malarial drugs were discovered.
Yet, there are over a million deaths from malaria every year.
With these statistics, the deaths before malaria treatment was found is unimaginable.
*Culex Mosquito*: They are also known as common house mosquitoes.
They are the main vectors of diseases like West Nile Fever, viral encephalitis and filariasis as well as viral diseases of birds and horses.
They feed at night and are found indoors and outdoors.
*Aedes Mosquitoes*: They can be identified by the black and white markings on their bodies and legs. Unlike most mosquitoes, they are active and bite during the day time.
They carry microorganisms that cause yellow fever, dengue, zika fever and encephalitis and as such are called Yellow Fever Mosquitoes.
