World Mosquito Day 2022: Date, significance, theme and all you need to know

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
19:
World
Mosquito
Day
2022
is
observed
on
20
August
to
mark
the
historic
discovery
by
British
doctor
Sir
Ronald
Ross
in
1897
that
malaria
is
transmitted
between
humans
by
female
Anopheles
mosquitoes.

His
discovery
laid
the
foundations
for
scientists
across
the
world
to
better
understand
the
deadly
role
of
mosquitoes
in
disease
transmission
and
come
up
with
effective
innovative
interventions.
Sir
Ronald
Ross
was
awarded
the
Nobel
Prize
for
Medicine
for
his
work
on
malaria
in
1902.

If
we
look
at
the
WHO
report
on
mosquito-based
deaths
worldwide
annually,
it
would
cross
500
million.
It
is
one
of
the
most
dangerous
vector
diseases
that
kills
one
child
every
30
seconds
and
3000
children
every
day.

Do
Mosquitoes
spread
coronavirus?
Find
out
here

As
per
the
UNICEF
report,
around
40
per
cent
of
the
population
worldwide
stays
at
areas
where
the
risk
of
malaria
is
higher.
Monsoon
is
regarded
as
breeding
season
for
mosquitoes
and
so,
the
number
of
people
suffering
from
mosquito-borne
diseases
increases
in
the
season
every
year.

Malaria
is
a
preventable
and
treatable
disease
that
continues
to
have
a
devastating
impact
on
the
health
and
livelihood
of
people
around
the
world.
In
2020,
there
were
an
estimated
241
million
new
cases
of
malaria
and
627
000
malaria-related
deaths
in
85
countries.
More
than
two
thirds
of
deaths
were
among
children
under
the
age
of
5
living
in
the
WHO
African
Region.

History
of
World
Mosquito
day
In
1987,
a
British
doctor
named
Ronald
Ross
discovered
a
close
link
between
mosquitoes
and
the
deadliest
disease
of
all
time,
named
malaria.
He
found
that
female
mosquitoes
are
the
ones
responsible
for
the
transmission
of
malaria
parasites
in
humans
through
a
bite.

To
thank
this
groundbreaking
research
of
Sir
Ross
and
his
team,
The
London
School
of
Hygiene
and
Tropical
Medicine
announced
this
day
to
be
celebrated
as
‘World
Mosquito
Day’ to
raise
awareness
by
campaign
or
exhibitions
on
the
causes
and
prevention
from
this
deadliest
disease.
This
day
is
also
meant
for
fundraising
so
that
more
research
can
be
carried
out
for
its
cure.

Cow-dung
can
repel
dengue
mosquitoes,
says
TN
Minister

Theme

World
Malaria
Day
2022
will
be
marked
under
the
theme
“Harness
innovation
to
reduce
the
malaria
disease
burden
and
save
lives.”
No
single
tool
that
is
available
today
will
solve
the
problem
of
malaria.

Here
are
mosquito-borne
diseases
besides
malaria
that
one
should
be
alarmed
of:

Aedes
:
These
mosquitoes
are
marked
by
black
and
white
patches
on
the
body.
They
cause
diseases
like
dengue,
rift
valley
fever,
zika,
yellow
fever,
and
chikungunya.

Anopheles:
These
mosquitoes
are
marked
by
pale
or
dark
marks
on
the
wings.
They
cause
diseases
like
malaria
and
lymphatic
filariasis
(also
known
as
elephantiasis).

Culex:
These
mosquitoes
are
marked
by
brown
scales
on
the
body.
They
cause
diseases
like
elephantiasis
and
West
Nile
fever.