Mosquitoes – what’s the situation?
Most mosquito species do not carry disease (e.g. the typical Mediterranean Mozzie). They “just” cause a skin irritation through an allergic reaction to the mosquito’s saliva – this is what causes the red bump and itching. Everyone gets bitten, but not everyone shows a reaction. Some mosquitoes are “Vectors” for disease • “an organism that does not carry disease, but can transmit an infection by conveying a disease-carrier (pathogen) from one organism to another” • E.g. The Anopheles mosquito acts as a Vector for the disease Malaria by transmitting the malarial parasite plasmodium to humans 3 million people die each year from mosquito transmitted disease (e.g.
