Insects are capable of transmitting diseases. The tiger mosquito is one of the dangerous virus carriers. Through its bite, infections are transmitted, some of which in extreme cases can be fatal if not treated in time.
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[EN VIDÉO] It’s tiger mosquito season! The first heat of summer is synonymous with the return of a rather unpleasant insect: the mosquito. Among the 3,000 existing species, the tiger mosquito, or Aedes albopictus, is one of the most feared.
Malaria, yellow fever, dengue feverWest Nile Virus, Chikungunya… The mosquitoes are dangerous vectors of diseases, mainly in tropical and intertropical regions. But not only. here are the infections and diseases which can be transmitted by mosquito bites.
Malaria
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 219 million cases of malaria were identified in 2017 worldwide. Nine out of ten concern the African continent, but with the global warming cases native start to be observed in previously unscathed countries. There are four types of human malaria agents, all parasites of the family of plasmodium. Specialists distinguish Plasmodium vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale and finally P. falciparum. P. This is the enfant terrible of the class, the one who is at the origin of the 900,000 fatal cases recorded each year in the world. In general, in its mild form, malaria is manifested by an intense fever accompanied by headaches, vomiting and other symptoms flu-like.
The dengue
It is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus aedes – notably A. aegypti – infected with one of the four viruses dengue fever. It is the origin of an influenza-like illness. According to WHO estimates, 3.9 billion people exhibited in 128 countries, more than half of the world’s population. And some 390 million people are affected, of whom 96 million show clinical signs. There is, however, a severe form called dengue hemorrhagic fever which leads to death. ” Without appropriate treatment, the lethality rate of dengue hemorrhagic fever can exceed 20%. », Specifies the WHO.
yellow fever
Nearly 200,000 people are struck each year by this viral disease. And 30,000 to 60,000 died of it in 2013. But according to the WHO, these figures are underestimated. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes of the kind Aedes and Haemagogus. The disease is in the state endemic in many countries ofAfrica and South America. The vaccination is essential for travelers who have to go there, and is only practiced in a limited number of authorized centers in France.
West Nile fever
Mosquitoes – mainly from thespecies VSulex – are infected during a “blood meal” carried out on birds themselves carriers of this virus. This was isolated for the first time in the Camargue in 1964. In 80% of cases, the infection goes unnoticed. The rest of the time, it is suggestive of an influenza-like illness, but complications meningeal can occur. Since 2002, more than 13,000 cases (resulting in 5,000 deaths) have been recorded in the United States alone. The WHO estimates that one in 150 infected people will develop a severe form of the disease, the elderly being more particularly susceptible. In France, an upsurge in the circulation of west nile virus (West Nile virus) has been observed in recent years around the Mediterranean. A surveillance system has been put in place by the authorities.
Chikungunya
This sickness transmitted by mosquito type Aedes has been mainly described in Africa, Southeast Asia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. It is manifested by high fever, headaches and violent pains muscles and joints in the wrists, pegs and phalanges. The pain may persist for weeks or even months.
Mosquito bites can have serious consequences. To find out how to protect yourself from mosquitoes, click on the links below:
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