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August 20 is World Mosquito Day

Imagine our surprise when we heard August 20 is World Mosquito Day–would anyone really want to celebrate these awful blood-sucking bugs?

But, thankfully the day isn’t spent honouring these pests, instead, the day recognizes Sir Ronald Ross, a British doctor, who in 1897, discovered the link between mosquitoes, malaria and humans.

Sir Ronald Ross discovered the malaria parasite in the stomach tissue of an Anopheles mosquito. His work later confirmed that mosquitoes are the vector which carries this devastating parasite from human to human.

Today, mosquito-borne diseases are still both widespread and difficult to treat. Even with global efforts to curb their impact on vulnerable populations, mosquito-borne diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. According to the World Health Organization, malaria alone leads to approximately 400,000 deaths annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases, even when non-fatal, can be devastating for patients. For example, Chikungunya causes crippling joint pain, and Zika infection in pregnant women can cause severe birth abnormalities.

On August 20, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine celebrates World Mosquito Day with exhibitions and parties designed both to entertain and to inform, while other celebrations include Malaria No More’s ‘Mozzy Air’ campaign, encouraging people to take anti-malarial when flying to malaria zones, and Nothing But Nets’ Twitter campaigns to provide mosquito nets for poor communities.

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