Most people think that a mosquito is just a summer nuisance insect. In general, This was the case a long time ago. Now scientists have found a connection between numerous diseases & the carrier, our summer pest, the Mosquito.

Mosquitos kill more humans than any other animal or insect on our planet and can carry many different kinds of diseases including the West Nile virus, malaria, heartworm, dengue fever, encephalitis and yellow fever. They become West Nile Virus carriers when they bite an infected bird which are the primary host for the virus . Mosquitoes do not spread AIDS.

ENCEPHALITIS

Encephalitis in various forms such as St. Louis, Western Equine, La Crosse, Eastern Equine, and West Nile, which was recently discovered in the Northeast is endemic to the United States and increasing in incidence. Although extremely rare, Eastern Equine Encephalitis has a 30% - 60% mortality rate once contracted. Severe damage to the central nervous system occurs in those that survive the illness.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is perpetuated by a cycle between the Culiseta melanura mosquito and birds that live in freshwater swamps. Although they do not bite humans, some will "cross bite"; i.e., bite an infected bird and then bite a human or animal , and spreading the disease. These mosquitoes are also known as "bridge vectors". A vector is a species that transmits a disease from one host to another. A bridge vector may take a meal from a bird and later take another meal from a mammal.

Symptoms usually occur within two to ten days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. These symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, headache, confusion, and lethargy. Encephalitis, swelling of the brain, is the most dangerous symptom. Rhode Island has confirmed five cases of EEE with two deaths in the last thirteen years. The last death reported in 1993.

more information - EEE:
University of Rhode Island EEE Facts
State of Connecticut Department of Public Health

For more information on St. Louis Encephalitis:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 WEST NILE FEVER -
Mosquitoes that carry this disease are here now!! in South Florida. Protect yourself NOW!!

West Nile Virus symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and rash, which are mild symptoms to severe symptoms that include neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, tremor, coma, vision loss, and paralysis. These severe symptoms could last weeks or could be permanent. Symptoms usually appear 3 to 14 days after a mosquito bite. Unlike Eastern Equine Encephalitis, 80% of the people who are infected with WNV will show no symptoms at all. 20% will show mild to serious symptoms. People mostly likely to show symptoms if bitten are infants, the elderly and people with auto-immune difficiencies.

For information on West Nile Fever see:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Questions and Answers About West Nile Virus
Rhode Island Department of Health
Georgia Dept. of Agriculture

DENGUE FEVER

Dengue fever is primarily a disease of the tropics that is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Aedes aegypti is a day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans. It is also transmitted by the Aedes albopictus (also called the "tiger mosquito"). Those infected with dengue can suffer from a spectrum of illnesses ranging from a viral flu to severe and fatal hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

The dengue virus can be passed back and forth between mosquitoes and humans, causing an extraordinarily painful ailment that exists in four known strains or serotypes. Dengue fever infection is especially dangerous to children, who generally can have one infection, but if bitten again can get a more serious infection that can morph into dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF causes severe internal bleeding, shock, and circulatory collapse, and is usually fatal to children.

Up until recently, dengue fever was relatively unknown in the Western Hemisphere. In the 1970's, a dengue fever epidemic invaded Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean. In 1981 a 2nd strain broke out in Cuba, accompanied by hemorrhagic fever. The second epidemic resulted in more than 300,000 hemorrhagic fever cases, and more than 1,000 deaths. Most were children. In the summer of 1998 an epidemic broke out on the island of Barbados.

Dengue is increasingly becoming a plague of global proportions and may soon eclipse malaria as the most significant mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans.

more information - Dengue Fever:
WHO Division of Control of Tropical Diseases
CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases

MALARIA

Malaria is caused by a parasite that is transmitted from person to person by the bite of an Anopheles mosquito. Anopheles bite during the nighttime and are present in almost all countries in the tropics and subtropics.

Symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, and malaise. In the early stages malaria can resemble the flu. Symptoms can develop 6-8 days after being bitten by a mosquito or as late as several months afterthe bite.

Malaria can sometimes be prevented by the use of antimalarial drugs and protection against mosquito bites. Estimates say 40% of the world's population are at risk for malaria. It is estimated that worldwide, malaria deaths total over one million lives annually. (W H O 1989)

more information on malaria
World Health Organization Control for Tropical Diseases.

YELLOW FEVER

Yellow fever is a disease caused by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It does not occur in the U.S. but is well known in Africa and South America. The symptoms of yellow fever include fever, chills, headache, backache, nausea, and vomiting; jaundice can also occur. More serious cases can involve the blood, liver, and kidneys. The disease can be fatal.

An infected mosquito spreads the disease is when it bites a person with yellow fever and then transmits it by biting another person.

There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, other than to relieve the symptoms. Once you've had yellow fever, you are immune to further infection. The best way to prevent yellow fever is by vaccination and mosquito control.

more yellow fever information:
World Health Organization Fact Sheet