Mosquito Facts – They’re a Health Threat!

Posted by Mosquito Squad

January 20, 2010

As part of our ongoing efforts here at Mosquito Squad of Columbia to help protect you from insect bites, we’ll occasionally be providing you with information about the dangers of mosquitoes and other biting pests, and how to reduce the risk for you and your family.

According to health officials and entomologists interviewed for the Mosquito Zone a website dedicated to the control and prevention of vector-borne diseases (diseases caused by pathogens carried by insects and ticks), every thirty seconds someone somewhere in the world will die due to a mosquito-spread disease.  Usually that victim is a child.

Mosquitoes are responsible for more than three million deaths a year from diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever and West Nile virus.  Some infections have frighteningly high mortality rates, like Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), which is currently spreading up the U.S. Atlantic Coast.  Half of those who get the severest form of EEE will die.

While most mosquito-borne disease deaths occur in a band of countries along the equator, the advent of plane travel and growing international trade mean that most of the world’s population could be 24 hours away from a lethal bite.

Mosquito Squad of Columbia is here to help prevent dangerous bites from  mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and other biting insects.  Call (803) 219-8621 to learn more about our effective barrier treatment programs that can safely and effectively reduce biting insects in your own backyard.