ST. LOUIS – Aug. 20 is World Mosquito Day and experts say it isn’t a celebration but a time to observe how these small insects have such a huge impact on human health on the global scale.
“World Mosquito Day is a day that commemorates a discovery in science. And that was the discovery that the Anopheles mosquito is the one that transmits the parasite that causes malaria,” Beth McGraw, the head of biology at Pennsylvania State University, said.
While mosquitoes are an important part of the ecosystem, they are capable of transmitting parasites and viruses that have devastating impacts on both human and animal health.
One mosquito that experts are concerned about used to be confined to Africa but have been successful in spreading across the globe over the last 400 years.
“Aedes aegypti in particular is important because it’s an urban mosquito, so it loves living where humans are. And as we see humans moving into cities more and more and increasing rates of urbanization globally, this mosquito will be increasingly a problem,” McGraw said. “And it’s also a concern because it transmits more viruses than any other mosquitoes, so it can transmit dengue, Zika, chicken, Bonia, and yellow fever. And that’s a lot of pathogens.”
This is why protection is so important.
“Be aware and realize that they’re out there. A lot of people think they don’t need to wear protection unless they’re going hunting or hiking and yet, if you’re walking the dog two or three times a day, or just out in your yard gardening, you’re as prone to mosquito bites and tick bites as you are if you’re walking the Appalachian Trail,” Eric Benson, entomology professor and extension specialist at Clemson University, said.
Benson advises against using bug zappers because those kill all insects, even ones that aren’t bad at all. Instead, he recommends repellents.
“Repellents for either your skin, or you can get some treatments for your clothing, or you can get clothing with impregnated things like permethrin, which can be very effective, especially for ticks,” he said.
While there are also plenty of natural repellents available, experts warn that they don’t usually last as long as some of the more traditional repellents.
“It masks you; it hides you. It confuses them from finding you because they’re typical cues are your body odor, the [carbon dioxide] that you’re producing when you breathe out, and fragrances that you may have on,” Benson said.
The color of your clothing can also have an impact. Mosquitoes tend to like darker colors, which radiate more heat. Since they’re looking for warm-blooded animals, heat is a big factor.
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