Apart of being a nuisance during spring, summer and fall, mosquitoes serve as vectors for numerous parasites that can cause severe diseases in humans and animals. Anopheles species cause 300-500 million infections per year with the protozoan plasmodium that causes malaria. Approximately one million people die every year from this disease. Different mosquito species serve as vectors for a number of viral diseases. Approximately 2.5 billion people are affected by dengue. 100 million cases are reported annually at a mortality of 1%. The cases of yellow fever are estimated to about 200,000 per year, although a very effective vaccination exists. Approximately 30,000 deaths of yellow fever are reported every year. A number of other viruses that can result in encephalitis are transmitted by mosquitoes. Although these diseases can be very serious and result in death, the numbers of affected people are actually low when compared to the above-mentioned diseases (150-3,500 reported caes per year at a mortality of 5-30%. Besides protozoans and viruses mosquitos transmit nematodes that can cause lymphatic filariasis. Approximately 120 million people are affected through this disease by long-term or permanent disability.
The above numbers have been collected from the websites of the World Health Organization (WHO) and of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more details about the different diseases use the links on the right and/or direct your browser to the websites of these organizations.