World Mosquito Day is annually observed across the globe on 20th August to honour British doctor Sir Ronald Ross who discovered the relationship between mosquitoes and the transmission of malaria between humans.
- World Mosquito Day also aims to create awareness about the cause and prevention of Malaria.
Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery:
i.Sir Ronald Ross discovered that the Anopheles mosquitoes (female mosquitoes) are responsible for the transmission of malaria parasites to humans.
ii.In his discovery, he declared the 20th August of every year as World Mosquitoes Day.
- Since then the 20th August of every year has been observed as World Mosquitoes Day.
Significance:
Since the 1930s, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has been annually organising a commemorative event to pay tribute to Sir Ronald Ross.
The day also recognises the efforts of the health care officials and others who are combating the diseases caused by Mosquitoes.
Vector-borne diseases:
According to the World Health Organisation, Vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700 000 deaths annually.
Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectious pathogens between humans or from animals to humans. Most of the vectors are bloodsucking insects.
Malaria:
Malaria is a parasitic infection transmitted by Anopheline mosquitoes. It is estimated that it causes around 219 million cases globally and results in more than 4 lakh deaths every year.
Dengue:
Dengue is the most prevalent viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Around 3.9 billion people living in 129 countries are at risk of contracting dengue.
Others:
chikungunya fever, Zika virus fever, yellow fever, West Nile fever, and Japanese encephalitis are some of the other viral diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes.
