Mosquitoes They can transmit diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, lymphatic filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever and Zika virus.
Just because of The malaria they transmit kills more than 600,000 people each year.in addition to that cause hundreds of millions of cases of dengue and other diseases.
In order to raise awareness about the danger that this insect implies, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Mosquito Day annually on August 20.
The mosquito is considered one of the most lethal animals that exist because of the diseases they transmit and that can be very serious.
Dengue fever spread in Latin America
In recent years, the spread of mosquito-borne infections, particularly dengue, has increased dramatically. It has already accumulated more than eleven million cases in 80 countries, but the most drastic increase is observed in Latin America.
In Latin American countries, dengue cases have tripled compared to last year. The region It accounts for around 85% of the cases reported to the WHO globally.
According to data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) he number of dengue cases recorded during the first half of 2024 exceeded the highest number of annual cases reported in documented history of the region.
By the end of June, they had been notified More than 9.2 million cases of denguewith at least 6,500 deaths and more than 24,000 serious illnesses related to the disease.
Brazil is the country with the highest number of infectionswith almost 6.3 million suspected cases, followed by Argentina (420,867 suspected cases), Paraguay (257,667 suspected cases) and Peru (199,659 suspected cases) until the end of May.
Preventive measures
To combat this insect, PAHO recommends protection measures and community mobilization such as sleeping under mosquito nets impregnated with insecticide, wearing sleeves and pants to cover extremities, use repellents that can be applied to exposed skin or clothing, and use mosquito netting or mesh on doors and windows.
At the community level, it calls for the implementation of a rapid action plan focused on prevent the formation of vector breeding sites and elimination of these to prevent transmission and in report symptoms and warning signs of dengue when the country’s epidemiological situation requires it, such as when there is an increase in cases or deaths from the disease.
Among other actions, it calls on health authorities to: Strengthen measures to eliminate breeding sites for the vector in homes and common public areas, reorganize solid waste collection services to support actions to eliminate breeding sites, prioritizing areas with the highest transmission, and apply measures to control breeding sites through the use of physical, biological, or chemical methods that actively involve individuals, families, and the community.
PAHO recalled that to interrupt transmission at the time when it occurs intensively, it is crucial to eliminate adult mosquitoes infected with the dengue virus through indoor fumigation using individual equipment, or spatial fumigation using heavy equipment mounted on vehicles, coupled with the destruction or control of breeding sites of the vector within homes and their surroundings.
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