In my school there is a very old Anglo Indian church, from the 1850s and it has wall plaques dedicated to Brirish soldiers and their family members who had died in those years, before India's freedom. Most of the eulogies show that young soldiers and their young family members, wives, children had died due to Malaria. Malaria caused by the bite of the female anopheles mosquito.
Recently the Zika virus scourge in Mexico and south America and Brazil, was spread by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known as the tiger mosquito because of its black and white colouring.Its bite affected the foetus in pregnant women, causing them to be born with microcephaly or serious brain abnormalities.
These episodes one hears in news and then they are forgotten. But recently there is an increase in dengue, chickunguniya cases in Mumbai and many of my students were also affected. So they remained absent, rested, in the absence of any medical recourse for these diseases, certain home remedies are resorted to, eating dragon fruit, papaya leaves etc to increase the haemoglobin count, etc. But the one disease that does not allow any type of recourse or reprieve is the encephalitis infection caused by mosquito bite and the filariasis disease.
Mosquitoes are vectors or carriers for many deadly diseases, like malaria, dengue, chickungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, encephalitis and the zika fever. These tiny creatures, weighing a mere 2.5 milligrams, are responsible for the maximum number of deaths, all over the world. There are 2700 species of mosquitoes and most of them have originated in the African continent.
The word 'mosquito' is a spanish word, meaning 'little fly'. The life cycle of a mosquito lasts for about 4 to 10 days, depending on the heat and humidity of the area. The eggs thrive in wet spots, then they change to larvae, pupae and then the adult flying scourge is born. Females live for upto 2 months and the males only for about 10 days. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on fruit and plant nectar, but a female needs blood protein to develop eggs. Mosquitoes do not posses teeth, so they do not 'bite'. The females have 2 long proboscis, which is a long serrated mouth part, with which they pierce the skin and locate a capillary, to suck blood. The other proboscis tube injects saliva with a painkiller and an anticoagulant into the victim. This process is when infection is transmitted into animals and humans from an infected mosquito.
The Aedes species is active during the day, so mosquito nets are not so effective to prevent its bite. Nowadays many repellents are available in the market. Some are to burn, some are electronic, some are to apply to the skin and a most recent one is a body patch repellent and fabric rub on. But the best deterrent is to not let the mosquito lay eggs, or to let natural predators thrive. Snails, ants, spiders, frogs, dragonflies, goldfish, eat the eggs and thus curb the menace. One toad can eat upto 100 mosquitoes a night. But a female mosquito lays upto 300 eggs, 3 times, every 3 days......whew.
In order to save oneself from the mosquito borne diseases, it is important to know what attracts them. They find hosts by sight, by detecting infra red radiation emitted by warm bodies. Mosquitoes are also attracted by chemical signals, carbon dioxide and lactic acid, from upto 25 to 30metres. Smelly feet, active fidgety people who sweat a lot, and dark clothing attract them.
In Pune, a restauranteur got the deadly filariasis disease, and his leg swelled with the worms and had to be amputated, and his son who cared for him also got the infection and both his legs were amputated but after living a painful bedridden life for a few years, he too could not be saved. Another tragic memory is connected with an uncle who was a chemist in Ghatkopar. He too contracted the deadly disease from some visiting patient, and died a painful death after suffering with the swollen extremities. Just recently, I have observed a cycle repairer who used to have a stall near the Babulnath temple, afflicted with the disease. It is a sad state of affairs, but he must have caught the infection from someone with the disease visiting the temple for heavenly reprieve. Now he is a source of infection for any unlucky person who gets bitten with a mosquito that bites him.
Sometimes it makes me wonder why God created this tiny animal which only spreads disease and despair.
Recently the Zika virus scourge in Mexico and south America and Brazil, was spread by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known as the tiger mosquito because of its black and white colouring.Its bite affected the foetus in pregnant women, causing them to be born with microcephaly or serious brain abnormalities.
These episodes one hears in news and then they are forgotten. But recently there is an increase in dengue, chickunguniya cases in Mumbai and many of my students were also affected. So they remained absent, rested, in the absence of any medical recourse for these diseases, certain home remedies are resorted to, eating dragon fruit, papaya leaves etc to increase the haemoglobin count, etc. But the one disease that does not allow any type of recourse or reprieve is the encephalitis infection caused by mosquito bite and the filariasis disease.
Mosquitoes are vectors or carriers for many deadly diseases, like malaria, dengue, chickungunya, yellow fever, filariasis, encephalitis and the zika fever. These tiny creatures, weighing a mere 2.5 milligrams, are responsible for the maximum number of deaths, all over the world. There are 2700 species of mosquitoes and most of them have originated in the African continent.
The word 'mosquito' is a spanish word, meaning 'little fly'. The life cycle of a mosquito lasts for about 4 to 10 days, depending on the heat and humidity of the area. The eggs thrive in wet spots, then they change to larvae, pupae and then the adult flying scourge is born. Females live for upto 2 months and the males only for about 10 days. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on fruit and plant nectar, but a female needs blood protein to develop eggs. Mosquitoes do not posses teeth, so they do not 'bite'. The females have 2 long proboscis, which is a long serrated mouth part, with which they pierce the skin and locate a capillary, to suck blood. The other proboscis tube injects saliva with a painkiller and an anticoagulant into the victim. This process is when infection is transmitted into animals and humans from an infected mosquito.
The Aedes species is active during the day, so mosquito nets are not so effective to prevent its bite. Nowadays many repellents are available in the market. Some are to burn, some are electronic, some are to apply to the skin and a most recent one is a body patch repellent and fabric rub on. But the best deterrent is to not let the mosquito lay eggs, or to let natural predators thrive. Snails, ants, spiders, frogs, dragonflies, goldfish, eat the eggs and thus curb the menace. One toad can eat upto 100 mosquitoes a night. But a female mosquito lays upto 300 eggs, 3 times, every 3 days......whew.
In order to save oneself from the mosquito borne diseases, it is important to know what attracts them. They find hosts by sight, by detecting infra red radiation emitted by warm bodies. Mosquitoes are also attracted by chemical signals, carbon dioxide and lactic acid, from upto 25 to 30metres. Smelly feet, active fidgety people who sweat a lot, and dark clothing attract them.
In Pune, a restauranteur got the deadly filariasis disease, and his leg swelled with the worms and had to be amputated, and his son who cared for him also got the infection and both his legs were amputated but after living a painful bedridden life for a few years, he too could not be saved. Another tragic memory is connected with an uncle who was a chemist in Ghatkopar. He too contracted the deadly disease from some visiting patient, and died a painful death after suffering with the swollen extremities. Just recently, I have observed a cycle repairer who used to have a stall near the Babulnath temple, afflicted with the disease. It is a sad state of affairs, but he must have caught the infection from someone with the disease visiting the temple for heavenly reprieve. Now he is a source of infection for any unlucky person who gets bitten with a mosquito that bites him.
Sometimes it makes me wonder why God created this tiny animal which only spreads disease and despair.
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