Top Mosquito-Borne illnesses in the U.S. — Zoe’s student essay

Top Mosquito-Borne illnesses in The U.S

Mosquitos are some of the most disliked pests known to man. They take your blood and make you itchy in the process. While this is annoying, mosquitoes can spread diseases as well, which is much more dangerous. The mosquito does this by carrying the disease and transmitting it to you while they are drinking your blood. Some of the most common mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States are the West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue. These diseases are not usually deadly, but they can make you extremely ill.  

The West Nile virus is the leading mosquito-borne illness in the United States, it is capable of creating serious illness and even death. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics say that Only about 1 in 5 people who develop this virus become ill, and only 1 in 150 infected people develop serous or delayed symptoms. 

Most people do not experience any symptoms; however, some people experience mild symptoms like “headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash” (CDC, 2018). These symptoms can be mistaken for many other illnesses, but it fortunately does not need any particular treatment. 

There can also be severe symptoms that include “high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis” (CDC, 2018), fortunately these severe cases are not as common. In 2018 there were a total of 2,646 cases in the United States.

mosquito bites.

Malaria is another common mosquito-borne illness in the United States. Malaria can be a dangerous disease if not treated, even causing death. Some symptoms for malaria include “fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness” (CDC, 2020) but can also include/lead to anemia, kidney failure and seizures if left untreated. In 2016, “the CDC received reports of 2078 malaria cases with onset of symptoms. Among these reported cases, 306 were classified as severe illnesses, and 7 people died” (Coppock, 2019). That is about 1 death to every 297 cases.

Tiger Mosquito

Dengue is another common mosquito-borne illness in the United States. The CDC says the about a quarter of people who contract dengue get sick, and 1 in 20 of those who get sick have severe symptoms. According to the CDC, mild symptoms include “fever, nauseas, rash, and body pain” (2020). 

When mild, this illness can easily be mistaken for other diseases and conditions and will run its course without treatment. If severe symptoms occur, it can present as stomach pain, vomiting, bleeding from the nose or gums, blood in vomit or stool, and fatigue (CDC, 2020). In 2018, there were 481 dengue cases reported in the United States.

Mosquitoes are pests that can be a minor inconvenience or extremely dangerous to people, depending on whether or not they carry diseases. They can carry and transmit diseases if you are unlucky enough to be their meal for the day. The three diseases discussed, West Nile, malaria, and dengue, are currently the most common diseases that are being spread by mosquitos in the United States.

Author: Zoe Palazzolo

University of Arizona

References

  • CDC. (2018, December 10). Symptoms, Diagnosis, & Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/symptoms/index.html

  • CDC. (2020, July 14). Dengue. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/
  • CDC. (2020, March 12). CDC – Malaria – About Malaria. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/

  • CDC. Mosquito-Borne Diseases. (2016, March 21). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/outdoor/mosquito-borne/default.html

Student Scholarships

Every year Thrive Pest Control hosts an essay contest and the reward is a 1-year scholarship at a 4-year university in the United States. This blog post is one of those scholarships.