Mosquito-Borne Diseases | What You Should Know

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Planning a summer vacation to somewhere tropical like the Caribbean, Africa, or South America? While traveling afar offers loads of adventurous health benefits, it's also important to keep in mind the risks associated with traveling to countries where mosquito-borne diseases are prevalent. Don't miss this essential guide to understanding and preventing mosquito-borne diseases:

Common Mosquito-Borne Diseases Around the World
An estimated 700 million people around the world contract a mosquito-borne illness every year with fatality rates as high as 1 million people a year. Mosquito-borne infections are largely endemic to subtropical regions like South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The most common illnesses include:

Malaria – estimates report that 1 child dies from malaria every 40 seconds, largely in Africa, making it the leading cause of premature mortality worldwide; however, adults can easily be infected too. A person infected with the parasite that causes malaria may present symptoms within 10 to 15 days of being bitten. Symptoms may include fever, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, seizures, and yellow skin. Coma and death can result from the infection if not properly treated right away.

There is currently no vaccine for malaria. However, measures like using mosquito netting, spraying pesticides and insect repellants, and taking malaria prevention medicines prior to traveling to countries with high rates of the disease can help prevent it.

Yellow Fever – tracking the accuracy of temperature readings is critical to diagnosing yellow fever, a viral disease that is spread by mosquito bites and causes symptoms like fever, muscle pains, nausea, loss of appetite, back pain, vomiting, and chills. The virus incubates for 3 to 6 days but is relatively short-lived, however, in some cases it can lead to liver damage, kidney failure, jaundice, and bleeding in the eyes, mouth, and GI tract.

A safe and effective vaccine currently exists for yellow fever and is recommended for people traveling to regions of the world with outbreaks. A growing number of hot spots in Brazil, for example, are leading health organizers to coordinate widespread vaccination efforts to rein in the epidemic.

Dengue – growing rates of this viral mosquito-borne disease from Asia to Latin American are putting over half the world's population at risk. Dengue and severe dengue initially mimic the flu; however, in addition to muscle and joint pain, high fever, vomiting, and headache, many sufferers also develop a notable skin rash. In rare cases, hemorrhagic bleeding, hypotension, and low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma occur. The disease can incubate from 3 days to 2 weeks and typically lasts 1 to 2 weeks after symptoms start.

A vaccine, though not 100% effective, for dengue was introduced in 2016 to many countries including the Philippines, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Singapore, and parts of South America. Rising rates of urbanization and even potentially global warming associated with climate change are contributing to the prevalence of dengue.

There are a host of additional mosquito-borne diseases worldwide including Zika fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, Lymphatic filariasis, Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and eastern and western equine encephalitis. In the United States, mosquito-borne illnesses are much more rare thanks to the more temperate climates, widespread use of pesticides and air conditioning, as well as other effective mosquito control tools.

How Does a Mosquito Transmit Disease

It's hard to think about such a tiny insect causing so much devastation, but it only takes the right type of host coming into contact with a microscopic virus, bacteria, or parasite to initiate the spread. The cause of malaria, for example, is a one-celled parasite (Plasmodium) that gets ingested by a female Anopheles mosquito when she consumes the blood of an infected host to feed her eggs. The parasite multiplies inside the mosquito and remains in her salivary glands; it is then transmitted to the next human when the mosquito bites them.

What Can You Do to Lower Your Risk?

It's not just humans that are susceptible to the plagues mosquitos carry. Animals like dogs, other primates, birds, rodents, and horses can also become infected and spread diseases caused by a simple mosquito bite. In the U.S., local, state, and federal organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA work together to track mosquito-borne diseases and diminish their spread should one emerge.

Around your own home, you can help prevent spread by making sure you don't have any standing water sitting stagnant – that is the type of environment that fosters mosquito breeding. When traveling abroad, also make sure that you get the proper vaccines and medication to help protect you against mosquito-borne disease. Wearing long sleeves, applying insect repellent, and using mosquito netting where you are staying have also been shown to help curb your risk.