Scotland

The mosquito is a major cause of a number of serious diseases throughout the world. Five of the most prevalent mosquito-borne diseases are Malaria, Yellow Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Dengue Fever, and West Nile Virus .

Malaria is the most common serious disease that is caused by mosquitoes. Over one million people die from this disease worldwide each year.

Female mosquitoes deposit their eggs into your bloodstream when they feed on your blood. These parasite eggs incubate and grow in your liver and then attack your red blood cells. The first symptoms usually show up within twenty-four hours. Some symptoms are shivers and chills, a high fever, as well as nausea and vomiting. This is generally followed by a deep sleep and then a flare up occurs. If these symptoms continue to repeat themselves every two or three days, you must seek medical attention.

There’s an anti-malaria drug that can be taken to help protect you when traveling on vacation in mosquito infested tropical climates. For you to receive maximum protection, this medication should be taken before, during, and after your trip. However, these pills may not always be completely effective.

Pharmaceutical drugs such as Chloroquine, Mefloquine, Fansidar, and Doxycycline, can be prescribed to treat malaria, but they aren’t always totally effective. Ask your physician more about the dosage and length of time that you should take any of these prescription medications.

You can protect yourself from yellow fever by getting vaccinated by a physician at a local health authority before you travel on your holidays. This vaccination lasts about ten years and is very effective.

Japanese encephalitis is a viral infection that’s transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito. This disease can be prevented with a series of three vaccinations.

Dengue fever is a viral disease that’s spread by mosquitoes. There’s no vaccination that will prevent this disease.

West Nile Virus is also spread through infected mosquitoes. At present there’s no vaccine to protect you from this disease.

Always keep in mind that when it comes to the serious mosquito-borne diseases, prevention is always better than a cure, even if there is one. It’s always best to limit the chances of being bitten and infected by mosquitoes in the first place. You should always wear loose fitting, long-sleeved shirts and slacks between the hours of dusk and dawn and apply a DEET containing insect repellent when mosquitoes become active near dusk. Always kill all the mosquitoes in your room before going to sleep, and use mosquito netting and coils when camping or sleeping outdoors.