Mosquito bites can cause more than a little irritation to your skin. Many mosquitoes will ‘cross-bite’ between species catching a variety of different diseases which they then pass onto you…
The problem occurs when mosquitoes enter into their mating season. During this period, female mosquitoes swap their traditional diet of nectar for blood because of the iron/protein properties blood contains.
Feeding from a variety of different blood sources: birds, horses, rodents etc, any diseases these animals may be carrying are instantly passed on through their saliva when they come to feed on you.
What could I catch?
There are 5 key diseases you should be vary of when dealing with mosquito bites: Encephalitis, West Nile Fever, Dengue Fever, Malaria and Yellow Fever.
Encephalitis
Encephalitis can come in various different forms: St. Louis, Western Equine, La Crosse, Eastern Equine and West Nile to name a few, but each comes with their own worrying health risks. Eastern Equine Encephalitis, although the rarest of this group, has currently got a mortality rate of 30%-60% due to the severe damage it does to your nervous system.
Symptoms usually occur within 2-10 days of being bitten and can result in high fevers, a stiff neck, headaches, confusion, lethargy and the most dangerous of them all ‘swelling of the brain’.
West Nile Fever
Exhibiting itself 3 to 14 days after you have been bitten, the West Nile Virus can cause fevers, headaches, nausea, vomiting and a rash. However, its more severe symptoms include neck stiffness, disorientation, tremors, coma, vision loss and paralysis.
These symptoms usually last for a few weeks; however they can become permanent if left untreated.
More worrying is the fact that:
- 80% of people who contract West Nile Fever do not show symptoms
- 20% only show mild to serious symptoms
- Those most at risk of showing full-on severe symptoms are children, the elderly and individuals suffering from auto-immune deficiencies
Dengue Fever
Dengue Fever can result in a spectrum of illnesses ranging from viral flu to fatal hemorrhagic fever. Causing sudden fever, headaches, joint pain, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and a hemorrhagic rash, Dengue Fever is most dangerous to children who if they get bitten twice can experience severe internal bleeding, shock and circulatory collapse.
Malaria
Caused by the parasite found in the Anopheles mosquito, Malaria takes 6-8 days to exhibit itself and can symptoms resembling the onset of flu: fever, chills, headaches, and muscle ache, before progressing to vomiting, vision damage, convulsions and liver damage if left untreated.
Malaria is possibly the easiest to protect against due to the introduction of anti-malarial drugs; however mosquitoes are becoming increasingly resistant to this medication so it is advised that you do not rely solely on anti-malarial drugs.
Yellow Fever
Most common in Africa and South America, Yellow Fever can cause fever, chills, headaches, backache, nausea, vomiting and jaundice. In more serious cases, it can affect your blood, liver and kidneys and can prove fatal if left untreated.
One of the ideal ways for disease prevention is applying a
Mosquito Patch. You can also use a mosquito killer. A mosquito patch is more effective as you don’t have to envelope yourself in a net, or a closed room with chemicals or smoke. You can walk freely with a patch on your arm. And it provides long lasting protection from mosquitoes and other bugs. Prevent all the deadly diseases by simple cures like these.
