Every year on August 20th World Mosquito Day is celebrated around the world. But why celebrate mosquitos, you might be wondering. It’s actually in memory of British doctor and Nobel Prize winner Sir Ronald Ross. On August 20th, 1897, the English bacteriologist and doctor discovered that female mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting the infectious disease malaria between humans. After his discovery Ross himself declared the day World Mosquito Day. And since then every August 20th the world remembers his contribution and raises awareness about mosquito transmitted diseases through World Mosquito Day.
Let’s celebrate the World Mosquito Day
Ronald Ross, born in Almora in India, started working with malaria in 1892, at the age of 35. His main goal was to find ways to prevent the spread of the tropical disease with flu-like symptoms. To do this, he first had to confirm his hypothesis that the disease is transmitted between people by mosquitoes. After about five years, he was able to establish a connection: he identified the Anopheles genus of mosquito as the carrier of malaria. In addition, the Nobel Prize winner made many other discoveries about epidemiology and ways to protect against the transmission of malaria.
Preventable fatalities
His discovery in 1897 laid the foundation for a comprehensive understanding of the deadly role that mosquitoes play in the spread of malaria and other diseases. In recent years, globalization, accelerated urbanization, as well as climatic changes, are significantly influencing the spread of insects like mosquitoes that can transmit diseases. Around the world, 1 billion cases are reported every year and over 1 million people have died as a result of diseases spread by insects, such as Malaria, Dengue, Yellow fever and Zika. For many of these diseases there is no vaccine available, so prevention is the best measure of protection. Which is why World Mosquito Day is an important opportunity to raise people's awareness about the danger of mosquito transmitted diseases. Declare your life a mosquito free zone with our safe and effective solutions to help you protect yourself and your family from insects both inside and outside your home.