Mosquitoes continue to do the dirty work of spreading dengue fever, malaria and chikungunya virus to people in clustered areas around the world. The rainy seasons and the weather patterns of the past six months have enabled the mosquitoes to breed and spread the viruses that can leave the recipients extremely ill or even dead.
Venezuela seems to be the hardest hit country at this point. They reported 22,880 cases of malaria and 38,174 cases of dengue fever in the past five months.
The dengue outbreak in Sri Lanka has been so severe that in the capital, Colombo, the Ministry of Health is inspecting homes and public buildings for possible mosquito breeding grounds and spraying pesticides in at-risk areas.
Because of the monsoon rains that poured down throughout India’s summer (March to May), several cases of dengue and chikungunya are being reported from there. Also, numerous cases of chikungunya are being reported from Malaysia, Thailand and the French island of Reunion.
If you are traveling to any of these areas, protect yourself from mosquitoes! For destination or disease specific information, there are plenty of resources available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Photo by Marshall Astor.