Diseases Caused By Mosquito Bites
Diseases Caused By Mosquito Bites
What’s more irritating and troublesome than a mosquito buzz? A mosquito bite. You can recognise a mosquito bite from a red and itchy bump on your skin, which surfaces when a mosquito pierces your skin to feed on your blood. This bump causes swelling and discomfort.
Usually, mosquito bites do not require any treatment, and the bump disappears on its own. However, mosquito bites can cause serious diseases by transmitting bacteria, viruses, and parasites through their bites.
Such diseases caused by mosquito bites may require medical attention and treatment. A medical insurance plan can be helpful in such a situation. A health insurance policy provides financial support, enabling you to get world-class medical treatment and care for your loved ones and yourself.
Let us learn in detail about the diseases caused by mosquito bites in India.
List of Diseases Caused by Mosquito Bite
When a mosquito feeds on an organism’s blood, it sucks the bacteria, viruses, and parasites in its blood. When it sucks another organism’s blood, it transmits these to the other organism. In this way, a disease spreads by mosquito bites.
If you are wondering which disease is caused by mosquito bites, here’s a comprehensive list for you:
Malaria
Malaria is one of the most common and old diseases caused by mosquito bites in India. Here are its details:
| Causes | The malarial parasite Plasmodium causes Malaria. The Plasmodium parasite gets transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito when it bites a human being. |
|---|---|
| Names of parasites that cause Malaria | The following 4 types of Plasmodium parasites cause Malaria in humans: 1. P. falciparum 2. P. ovale 3. P. vivax 4. P. malariae |
| Areas affected | While Malaria is almost non-existent in European countries now, it is still common in most tropical countries. The malarial parasites multiply in the liver and attack the red blood cells. |
| Spread | Malaria is a non-contagious disease that spreads through organ transplantation, blood transfusion, used needles, and from mother to child. |
| Symptoms | Symptoms of Malaria commonly include fever, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, chills, and muscle, joint and abdominal pain. |
| Treatment | Malaria can be treated with proper treatment and medication. However, if left untreated, it can turn into a life-threatening disease. |
Dengue
Considered a deadly disease by most, here are the details about Dengue:
| Causes | Dengue is caused by 4 types of viruses, and it is a mosquito bite disease. The female Aedes aegypti mosquito spreads Dengue. |
|---|---|
| Found in | Commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions. |
| Spread | Dengue is not contagious, and the patient develops immunity against the virus responsible for causing the disease. However, he is still prone to getting infected by the remaining 3 kinds of viruses that cause Dengue. |
| Symptoms | The symptoms of this vector-borne disease are nausea, vomiting, severe headache, pain in the eyes, bones, joints, and muscles, and swollen glands. In severe cases, the patient may suffer from Dengue hemorrhagic fever, and his blood platelet count reduces. Under extreme cases, this condition can cause internal bleeding, organ failure, and even death of the patient. The symptoms of hemorrhagic fever include stomach pain, blood in urine, vomit, or stool, persistent vomiting, gum and nose bleeding, severe fatigue, and skin rashes with blood under the skin. |
| Treatment | A severe case of Dengue is a life-threatening disease, and you must consult a doctor immediately if you notice any of the above symptoms. |
Yellow Fever
It is another common disease due to mosquito bites. Know the details below:
| Causes | The same female Aedes aegypti mosquito that causes Dengue also causes Yellow fever.. |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | In mild cases, a patient may not show any symptoms of Yellow fever. However, if the case is severe, it can affect crucial organs like the heart, liver, and kidney. In mild cases, you may notice a few symptoms like fever, headache, loss of appetite, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and muscle pain in the back and knees. In a severe condition, the patient may show symptoms like decreased urination, jaundice, kidney and liver failure, bleeding through the nose, eyes, and mouth, abdominal pain, coma, seizures, and brain dysfunction. |
| Treatment | You can get yourself vaccinated against Yellow fever. A single shot of vaccine is effective for up to 10 years against the disease. |
**Zika Virus **
ZIka virus is another mosquito borne disease. Here are its details:
| Causes | The Aedes mosquitoes spread the Zika virus. This particular species of mosquitoes is found worldwide. |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | In most cases, a person suffering from the Zika virus does not exhibit any symptoms. In some cases, an infected person may show a few symptoms, such as fever, red eyes, rashes, joint pain, abdominal pain, fatigue, and pain in the eyes. |
| Threats | Zika virus can be especially detrimental to pregnant women and cause severe birth defects in infants, known as Congenital Zika Syndrome. Infants suffering from Congenital Zika Syndrome may suffer from brain or eye damage, smaller brain and head size, reduced brain tissues, and joint problems. |
| Treatment | There is still no vaccine for the Zika virus, and the best way is to have clean surroundings to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. |
**Chikungunya **
Chikungunya is another common disease caused by mosquito bites.
| Causes | It is a viral infection and causes severe muscle pain and fever in an infected person. |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | This disease is not a fatal one, and its symptoms are usually mild. Some common symptoms of Chikungunya include conjunctivitis, arthritis, sudden high fever, nausea, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain. |
| Treatment | Consult a doctor if symptoms appear. |
How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites
Mosquitoes can bite you at any time of the day or night. They are present both indoors and outdoors. Therefore, a few preventive measures can go a long way in protecting yourself against the diseases caused by mosquito bites in India.
Limit mosquito exposure by netting and repairing tears in windows, doors, and camping gear.
Use an effective insect repellent when mosquitoes are active.
Wear clothes with long sleeves and long pants if the weather isn’t too hot.
Take appropriate measures to prevent water collection in and around your home.
Conclusion
Mosquito bites can be irritating and can cause rashes and swelling. Moreover, they can lead to severe diseases in some cases. Therefore, getting a health insurance policy to deal with the cost of treatment and hospitalisation arising from serious diseases is best.
At Tata AIG, you can enjoy several benefits of health insurance, like coverage for pre and post-hospitalisation expenses, daycare treatment, ambulance costs, ICU expenses, and much more.
Disclaimer / TnC
Your policy is subjected to terms and conditions & inclusions and exclusions mentioned in your policy wording. Please go through the documents carefully.
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