Mosquito spread malaria.
Malaria has infected humans for over 50,000 years, and-once known as "Roman fever"-may have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire. The term malaria comes from the medieval Italian saying "mala aria" meaning "bad air."
Mosquito
Mosquito means little fly in Spanish. The insects resemble crane flies in their appearance. They have a mouthpart that has adapted for piercing the skin. Although the male lives on nectar, the female mosquito needs a blood meal in order to produce her eggs.
Malaria
Malaria is spread when a female mosquito bites an infected person. The mosquito extracts blood, which contains malaria parasites. When the mosquito bites another person, the parasites are injected into the victim via the mosquito's saliva.
Malaria in Africa
Around 2 million people die from malaria every year and it is thought 90 percent of these deaths are children in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty and can make economic development difficult.
Mosquito Nets
It is estimated that only one in every 20 people in Africa have a bed mosquito net. These bed nets can greatly reduce the transmission of malaria and when treated with an insecticide are twice as effective.
Malaria Awareness Day
Malaria Awareness Day was founded by George W. Bush in 2007 when he called on Americans to help eradicate malaria in Africa. The observance is conducted each year on April 27 in conjunction with the nonprofit group Malaria No More, which has distributed millions of bed nets throughout Africa.
Tags: female mosquito, Malaria Awareness, mosquito bites