Mosquito-Borne Threats in Summer: Dengue, Zika, and the Hidden Dangers of Warm Weather

Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectiouspathogens between humans, or from animals to humans.[1] Manyof these vectors are bloodsucking insects which ingest disease-producingmicroorganisms during a blood meal from an infected host (human or animal) andlater transmit it into a new host, after the pathogen has replicated. Vector-bornediseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases.¹

Every year there are more than 700 000 deaths from diseasessuch as malaria,Zika virus, dengue, schistosomiasis, human Africantrypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, yellow fever, Japaneseencephalitis and onchocerciasis.^1
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What Are Dengue and Zika?

Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infectionthat spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical andsubtropical climates.[2] Mostpeople who get dengue will not have symptoms. But for those who do, the mostcommon symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. Mostwill get better in 1–2 weeks. Some people develop severe dengue and need carein a hospital. In severe cases, dengue can be fatal.²

Also Zika virus is a mosquito-borne virus firstidentified in Uganda in 1947 in a Rhesus macaque monkey followed by evidence ofinfection and disease in humans in other African countries in the 1950s.[3]

Most people infected with Zika virus do notdevelop symptoms. Among those who do, they typically start 3–14 days afterinfection, are generally mild including rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle andjoint pain, malaise and headache, and usually last for 2–7 days. These symptomsare common to other arboviral and non-arboviral diseases; thus, the diagnosisof Zika virus infection requires laboratory confirmation.³ Anestimated 5–15% of infants born to women infected with Zika virus duringpregnancy have evidence of Zika-related complications.^3
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Who Is atRisk?

• International travelers heading to endemic areas.[4]
• Pregnant women, due to the risk of Zika-related birth     complications.³
• Urban populations in areas with poor mosquito control     and stagnant water.²

How CanYou Protect Yourself?

1. Wear long-sleeved clothing, especially during early     morning and late afternoon.²
2. Sleep under mosquito nets, particularly in high-risk     areas.²
3. Remove standing water around homes to limit breeding     grounds.²
4. Check travel advisories and consider vaccinations or     preventive medications where applicable.²

There is currently no specific treatmentfor either dengue or Zika.^2,3 Supportive care is the main course ofaction—rest, fluids, and pain relievers (excluding NSAIDs, which may increasebleeding risk in dengue).² That’s why prevention and awareness areyour best defenses, especially when traveling to high-risk zones.