Dengue, Malaria and Other Mosquito Borne Diseases

Mosquito bites are something that we experience almost every day. These tiny pests manage to make our life a hell with their constant bite and buzz. Though they have short lifespans, but they can wreak havoc on human lives. From their itchy bites to the diseases they can carry, mosquitos are often annoying and sometimes downright deadly.

Mosquitos live in grass and bushes located close to areas where humans live. Their favorite breeding ground is standing water. It is only the females that bite you and not the males, a they need blood in their diet for reproduction. When they bite you, it usually leaves an itchy welt behind. They can also spread diseases between animals and humans, as well as from one human to another.

Mosquito bites

Almost immediately after a mosquito bites you, you may notice a round and puffy bump forming. In some cases, you may see a small dot at the center of it. The bump will soon become red and hard, with a small amount of swelling. You might feel a stinging sensation when a mosquito pierces your skin. After that, the most annoying symptom of a mosquito bite is the itchiness.

Apart from that, there are no remarkable symptoms, unless you have a very weak immune system. Then you may experience more severe allergic reaction that causes body aches, headache, and fever.

Treating Mosquito Bites

To treat mosquito bites, wash them with soap and warm water.
You can also use over-the-counter pain relievers, antihistamines, or topical anti-itch medications to control pain and itching.
Applying an ice pack to your skin can also provide relief from itching.

Diseases Caused

Often, the severe allergic reactions are the symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases. They can carry viruses, bacteria, and parasites in their saliva. When they bite you, they can transmit those pathogens into your body, causing severe and even life-threatening illness.

Some Mosquito-borne Diseases

Mosquitos are known carriers of malaria, West Nile virus, zika, dengue fever, yellow fever, and several viruses that cause encephalitis.

Malaria

The symptoms include fever, headache, chills, and vomiting. If you travel to a country where it’s a problem, sleep under a net that’s treated with insecticide, and take anti-malaria drugs.

West Nile

If you get a bite from a mosquito that’s carrying this virus, you probably won’t have any symptoms. Some people, though, get fever, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or a rash. You need to watch out for rare complications, like the brain infections called encephalitis or meningitis. There’s no vaccine for the disease, which shows up in every state except Alaska and Hawaii.

Zika

For most folks, the symptoms from this virus are mild: just a fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The real danger may be to pregnant women and their babies. It’s linked to a birth defect called microcephaly, which causes small heads and brain damage.

Yellow Fever

This disease takes its name from one of its symptoms, jaundice, which can make your skin and eyes look yellowish. Less serious infections will give you a headache, backache, chills, and vomiting. There’s a vaccine that prevents it, so make sure you get one if you travel to the places in Africa and Latin America where mosquitoes spread it.

Dengue Fever

When you catch it, you could get problems like rash, fever, headache, easy bruising, and bleeding gums. Sometimes it leads to hemorrhagic fever, which can be deadly. The only vaccine approved by the FDA is for use in children aged 9-16 who already had been infected by one of the four dengue viruses to help prevent getting the disease again from one of the other viruses.

In case of the aforementioned severe symptoms, it is necessary that you consult a doctor so as to avoid any complications.

Prevention Of These Diseases

Avoid mosquito bites as far as possible, because there is no specific treatment for many of the mosquito-borne diseases, and few vaccines or medicines available to prevent them, the best protection is to avoid mosquito bites. You should take as many precautions as possible to protect yourself from being bitten. Bites can occur at any time. Many mosquitoes bite between dusk and dawn, but some are more active during the daytime, such as Aedes mosquitoes. They can transmit dengue virus, Zika virus and chikungunya virus.

Wear protective clothing in light colours
Wear covered shoes when outside.
If possible, avoid being outdoors in mosquito prone areas when mosquitoes are biting.
Use insect screens over the windows and doors and mosquito netting over the beds.
Mosquito coils can be burned and offer some protection for approximately 6 hours.
Indoors, use plug-in mosquito zappers, which release insecticide at low levels for several hours.
Sleep in air-conditioned rooms where possible.
When camping, sleep under a mosquito net.
Apply mosquito repellants on your body and clothes.

These are some ways by which you can avoid contracting mosquito-borne diseases.