Mosquito-Borne Diseases: From Malaria to West Nile and Dengue

🦟 Mosquito-Borne Diseases: From Malaria to West Nile and Dengue

An ancient and silent enemy

It doesn’t take a giant predator to threaten humanity: just a few millimeters of insect. The mosquito is considered the deadliest animal on the planet, responsible every year for millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths. It is not the bite itself that kills, but what it carries: parasites, viruses, and bacteria.

🌍 Malaria: the scourge of history

Malaria has haunted humankind for millennia. Cited in the writings of Hippocrates and feared by Alexander the Great’s armies, this disease is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. Symptoms range from intermittent fevers to potentially fatal crises. Despite medical advances, malaria still affects millions of people today, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

🩸 Deadly and globalized viruses

Malaria is not the only threat. Mosquito-borne diseases include a range of emerging viral infections that have recently appeared even in Europe:

• Dengue: also known as “breakbone fever” due to the severe pain it causes.

• Zika virus: infamous since 2015 for its dangerous effects on pregnancies.

• Yellow fever: historically devastating, still endemic in tropical regions.

• West Nile virus: now present in Italy, capable of causing encephalitis and severe complications.

🐅 The tiger mosquito invasion

The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is now fully established in Europe, including Italy. Originally from Asia, it spread through international trade in the 1990s. Aggressive and active even during the day, it is capable of transmitting Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika virus.

🔬 Why mosquitoes?

Female mosquitoes feed on blood to obtain the proteins needed for egg production. By injecting anticoagulant saliva, they can transmit pathogens already circulating in their body. A perfect mechanism… for the parasite.

🛡️ How to defend ourselves?

• Eliminate stagnant water, breeding grounds for larvae.

• Use mosquito nets and repellents.

• Vaccination programs where available (e.g., malaria and yellow fever).

• Health surveillance, since globalization makes epidemics easier to spread.

🌌 A tiny but invincible monster?

The mosquito reminds us that dangers don’t always come from titanic creatures or science-fiction viruses. Sometimes a barely perceptible wingbeat can change the course of civilizations. For better or worse, these insects have shaped wars, migrations, and even the geography of human societies.