Did You Know: Mosquitoes Kill 725000 Human Beings Annually

Mosquitoes may be one of the smallest, innocent-looking creatures of the world but are the deadliest of all dangerous killer animals as 725,000 humans die annually from its bite.

These tiny creatures kill more humans than human murderers kill. They kill more people in a single die than what a shark can kill in a whole century.

Most of us have had unpleasant experiences with mosquitoes. We hate them for the irritating noise and buzzing and just the utter disrespect for creatures a million times bigger and more superior than them but what we should hate them most for is that they actually feed on us, on our blood. And when they do, they cause illnesses and death.

Mosquitoes kill humans by transmitting various viruses and parasites that cause deadly diseases, the most common one being malaria which also accounts for most of the deaths. They also carry parasites that cause illnesses to animals such as dogs and horses.

Malaria has for years been the disease known to be caused by mosquito bites.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), out of the 750,000 people who are killed by mosquito-borne diseases, 600,000 of them, mainly children die of malaria, and hundreds of thousands more are left incapacitated.

Mosquito-borne diseases and their prevention

• Malaria
• Zika virus
• Japanese encephalitis
• Barmah Forest virus disease
• Chikungunya virus infection
• Ross River virus disease
• Dengue fever
• Yellow fever
• Murray Valley encephalitis.

Vaccines for yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis are available. That of Dengue fever and Zika Virus are in development and for malaria, which accounts for the most deaths in the world, patients are given pills as its vaccine is also in development.

How mosquitoes spread viruses and parasites.

Studies show that there are over 3000 species of mosquitoes in the world but only 200 of those species feed on human blood. Out of the 200 that feed on human blood, only three species are notorious for spreading diseases.

Of these species that feed on blood, it is important to note that only the female mosquitoes that make our blood their food because, our blood, is nutritious for their eggs. How saddening.

So, this is what happens to people who have suffered from diseases caused by mosquito bites. A mosquito, a female one, don’t forget, picks up a virus or fungi from wherever, it finds its victim by detecting infrared radiation emitted by the warm blood inside of you, observe your movements and by using chemical signals, then boom! It lands and bites.

And friends, I think you should know that you would be even more unlucky if you have smelly feet. They absolutely love smelly feet. It will then travel for even up to 100 miles to bite another poor victim, smelly feet or not.

Top favorite breeding places for mosquitoes

• Stagnant waters. Mosquitoes love shallow stagnant water. So ensure your places with stagnant water around your house are dry.
• Your car’s spare tires or spoilt ones that boys like playing with are a perfect place for mosquitoes to breed.
• Garbage cans. If you can afford garbage cans with tight lids that would help. Otherwise, you have a garbage can cum a water catch can that is a perfect habitat for mosquitoes.
• Depressions in your compound when it rains and the water remains stagnant, they welcome mosquitoes.

Also, you may like to check your child’s toys, pet water bowls, plant saucers and slash the grass in your compound often because they are the most common places mosquitoes lay their eggs.