What you need to know for World Health Day 2014: The top 10 facts on vector-borne diseases

What are vector-borne diseases. Who do they affect? What can I do to prevent them? Find out all this and more here...

17:27 07 April 2014

This year’s World Health Day slogan is “small bite: big threat” and refers to the dangers of vectors - living organisms (typically bloodsucking insects such as mosquitos) that can transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans.

 

Vector-borne diseases are affecting thousands of people every single year. Below are facts that you should know to better understand this type of disease. 

 

1. Malaria caused an estimated 627,000 deaths in 2012 alone while Dengue affects around 50-100 million people across the world every year. 
2. You can use healthier alternatives to harmful chemicals to keep insects at bay. Instead of repellents that can cause allergic reactions, use tulsi, lemon oil, eucalyptus and mint if you are concerned about allergies. 
3. Anyone can get Vector-borne diseases. Although poor people usually live in unhygienic conditions, richer people aren’t 100per cent safe from mosquito bites. 
4. Dr Ronald Ross was the first one to find out that Malaria was transferred through mosquitoes. This discovery has saved many lives. 
5. Keeping your environment clean is the best way to avoid any type of vector-borne diseases. 
6. Vector-borne diseases cause more than 1 million deaths every year. 
7. Many vectors are bloodsucking insects that inject blood into a new host during their subsequent blood meal. 
8. The best known disease-ridden vectors are mosquitoes. Others include freshwater aquatic snails, sandflies, ticks, flies, fleas and triatomine bugs. 
9. For many diseases such as Chagas disease, malaria, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has initiated control programmes using donated or subsidized medicines.
10. Access to water and sanitation is the most effective way to control and eliminate the disease.