Increase In Travel Equals Increase In Transmission Of Mosquito Borne Diseases

Over the last 70 years, international travel has astronomically increased. More and more people are packing up their suitcases, not just for pleasure but also for business. And with easy accessibility to air travel, we’re traveling more often than ever. But with this ease to travel the globe comes with it the threat that we are also the perfect carriers to bring back diseases, (in particular mosquito borne) from places afar.

Here’s why diseases caused by insects are becoming more prevalent

Diseases caused by insects are booming. Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that illness spread by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas had tripled since 2004. Between 2004 and 2016, there were more than 640,000 reported cases of insect-borne diseases, according to the agency, and the numbers are growing. So why are insects making us sick more often?

West Nile virus, mentioned in the above article, is just one of the many diseases that can be transmitted from an infected mosquito bite. There are many more that we need to be aware of and to protect ourselves against, whether you are a traveler or not!

There may be some diseases that you’ve never even heard of! You can read more about them in the following article from the World Health Organization.

Mosquito-borne diseases

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year. In 2015 malaria alone caused 438 000 deaths. The worldwide incidence of dengue has risen 30-fold in the past 30 years, and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease. Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are all transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, please be savvy when it comes to health risks, and also the health and safety of the country that you return home too.