Mosquitoes are notorious for spreading a variety of diseases, some of which can be life-threatening. Recently, diseases spread by mosquitoes have seen an uptick in the United States. These tiny insects act as vectors, transmitting pathogens such as viruses, parasites, and bacteria from one host to another.
People in some areas of the northeastern state of Massachusetts have been warned to stay indoors when mosquitoes are most active after a rare case of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was found. This comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease expert was also hospitalised after he came down with mosquito-borne West Nile virus.
While these diseases are relatively rare. A surge in dengue and malaria cases has also been recorded in the US this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of July 15, more than 9.
7 million dengue cases have been reported in North and South America, which is twice as many cases as were reported throughout last year. Here’s a look at some common — and not-so-common — mosquito-borne diseases. Eastern equine encephalitis Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is a rare but extremely dangerous mosquito-borne disease.
While most people infected with EEE show no symptoms, the virus can cause severe complications in some cases, including fever and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Alarmingly, around one-third of those who develop severe symptoms succumb to the illness. So far in 2024, the US .