World Mosquito Day was introduced in "an effort to remind the public about the continuing threat of malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes" (Mirsky). "Each year, approximately 350 to 500 million people are infected with malaria, killing 1 to 3 million people, mostly young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only female Anopheles mosquitoes that had previously bitten a person infected malaria will transmit the disease. Currently there is no vaccine that can provide high level of protection, and malaria parasites have evolved to resist many antimalarial drugs" (NowPublic).
Unfortunately, "it's not a day to celebrate" instead, it's "an awareness day. Ronald Ross of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine originated World Mosquito Day in 1897. He's the guy who figured out that mosquitoes carried the malaria parasite. He got one of the first Nobel Prizes for it in 1902" (Mirsky). By the way, he was also knighted in 1911. "Sir Ronald Ross was a British physician born in Almora, India. He had the breakthrough discovery during the dissection of a specific species of mosquito, the Anopheles, previously fed on a malaria patient. Malaria parasite was found on the mosquito and on its salivary glands" (NowPublic).
"112 years later, the fight against malaria is still on" (NowPublic). On this World Mosquito Day, motivate yourself to mention malaria and it's global threat to your peers, acquaintances, or that woman who swats at mosquito while she's waiting for the bus. Together, we can Bite Malaria Back.
Sources:
Mirsky, Steve. "Bite Back on World Mosquito Day." Scientific American. 19 August 2009.
NowPublic. "World Mosquito Day on August 20: Fight against Malaria" 19 August 2009.
Photograph by Hugh Sturrock
Posts
ewww who's blood was it?
ReplyDeleteWhose blood is in the mosquito? Your guess is as good as mine
ReplyDelete