SYMPTOMS AND TYPES OF MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES AND PREVENTION TECHNIQUES

Mosquito borne diseases are widespread in over 150 countries around the world. Mosquito related diseases infect over 500 million people resulting in 1 million deaths approximately. In India, around 40 million people contract mosquito borne diseases annually. Mosquitoes are the root cause of numerous illnesses such as dengue, malaria, brain fever, yellow fever, Chikungunya, etc. These diseases can turn out to be deadly if the symptoms are not detected well on time.

Predominant mosquito borne diseases in India are Dengue, Malaria and Chikungunya. The symptoms of these diseases are stated below:

Malaria

Malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium. Major symptoms of Malaria are shivering, unstructured pimples on the skin, sweating, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, muscle pain, bloody stools, etc. The body temperature might rises as high as 105 degree F, which is accompanied by severe headache and body aches.

Dengue

Also known as the backbone fever, Dengue’s symptoms include headache, high fever, muscle pain, join pain, rashes, etc. It can further lead to excessive bleeding in severe cases, which can be life threatening.

Chikungunya

Symptoms of Chikungunya usually appear within a week of infection. Fever and joint pain take over the body. Muscle pain, headache, fatigue and rash also appear in some cases. The prominent symptoms include excessive body pain, swelling in the joints. The body pain during Chikungunya is more severe than that in dengue cases.

Prevention

There are no specific treatments for all mosquito borne diseases. While there are few anti-malarial drugs such as artemisinin and chloroquine available in the market, there are no specific medications for Dengue or chikungunya as they are viral diseases. However, there are few prevention measures, following which you can stay safe from viruses spread by mosquitoes.

The best measure is to stay safe by taking adequate precautions in order to prevent dengue infections. As they say, ‘prevention is better than cure’. Some of the precaution measures contributing to dengue prevention are:

• Mosquito Repellents

There are variety of mosquito repellent options available in the market in form of liquid vaporizers, aerosols, coils, etc. Using these repellents will keep the mosquitos away and reduce your chances of acquiring infection. Mortein has a broad range of products and sub variants for tackling mosquitoes and harmful infections spread by them. All products are designed in order to provide protection against mosquitoes under any condition.

• Clean water storage

Stagnant water is the favourite breeding ground for mosquitoes. One must not store water in open containers and rather use containers with closing lids. Proper cleaning of water storages has to be assured on regular intervals to avoid mosquito breeding. You should regularly change the water in flowerpots, buckets, coolers etc. at home.

• Clear Surroundings and Environment

It is important to clear your surroundings by discarding unwanted things like broken pots, flower vase, tyres, oil drums, etc. from your vicinity. These are the major source of water collection. It is also necessary to clean the rooftops, floor and furniture of the house regularly using disinfectants to keep the place uncontaminated.