Man has no chance against them. It's a losing war.
They are tiny, they buzz annoyingly, there is almost no house that has not at least once had a blood stain on the wall, and their bite is not only itchy, but can also be deadly.
Mosquitoes are responsible for the death of more than a million people a year in the world, making them the most dangerous creature to humans, according to World Atlas.
These tiny insects infect the eye with a sting 700 million people per year.
- The risk of mosquito-borne diseases is increasing in Europe
- Mosquitoes - flying bloodsuckers that do not give us peace at night
- Tiger mosquitoes spread dengue fever in Europe
It is celebrated every August 20 World mosquito day, to draw attention to malaria, but also other diseases transmitted by this little killer.
It is not easy to get rid of these insects, and the most important thing is to control them while they are larvae, said Dušan Petrić, retired professor from the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad in 2023.
When destroying, environmental and sometimes chemical means are most often used.
World scientists are in eternal search for the most effective method in the fight against these bloodsuckers.
As of 2019, more than one billion genetically modified (GMO) mosquitoes have been released into the wild worldwide, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Male GMO species of these insects anopheles stephensi which do not bite, have a gene that kills young female malaria mosquitoes before they reach maturity.
One of the ways is the use of sterilized males, which was used by Croatia, the former Yugoslav republic, in 2023.
"The mosquitoes are created in the laboratory, where the males are sterilized and then released in large numbers to mate with wild females of the same species.
"In the long term, this can lead to a significant decrease in the number of tiger mosquitoes where they are released," says Ana Klobučar, a biologist from the Croatian Scientific Institute for Public Health "Dr Andrija Štampar", for the BBC in Serbian.
Some of the ways to control mosquitoes
Mosquito population control includes monitoring the number of larvae and adult insects and their destruction.
Larvae are controlled by chemical and biological means and are most abundant in stagnant water, such as ponds, canals, overflowing rivers, in shafts, as well as in many places where water is retained, according to the website of the Belgrade of the public utility company "City Cleanliness".
Mosquito larvae also serve as food for other insects, fish and spiders.
No natural enemy of mosquitoes, however, can destroy the numbers they can reach.
Adults of mosquitoes are controlled by treatments from the ground.
Utility companies in Serbia they announce the spraying of mosquitoes several days in advance so that the beekeepers move the hives away from the spraying area.
Watch the video: How to protect yourself from mosquitoes
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Import of sterile males
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, has allocated money in 2023 for the destruction and education of citizens about mosquitoes.
"The goal is to use insecticides as little as possible when controlling mosquitoes.
"That's why biological methods are used around the world, including the use of sterile males," explains Ana Klobučar.
This method is used around the world against invasive species - tiger mosquitoes and yellow fever mosquitoes.
In 2023, Zagreb imported 100.000 sterile male mosquitoes from Italy.
They were created in a plant for mass breeding of mosquitoes "Giorgio Nicoli" Agriculture and Environment Center (CAA) Crevalcore in Italy, adds the biologist from Croatia.
"They were delivered in temperature-controlled vehicles, from 10 to 12 degrees Celsius, in insulated boxes.
"The results obtained were good, because the high sterility of mosquito eggs laid by wild females after the release of sterile males was recorded," says Ana Klobučar.
Bacteria against mosquitoes
Chinese scientists 2016. released three million mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacterium, which is only found in a quarter of wild mosquitoes, into the wild.
"If a male mosquito carries that bacteria and mates, it will make the female sterile, and if she has Wolbachia in her, that can prevent the spread of Zika and dengue viruses or yellow fever in the mosquito's body.
"Thus, the risk of that mosquito transmitting the infection to humans is reduced," said Professor Zhiyong Qi from the Center for Tropical Diseases in China at the time.
Indonesia conducted research to determine the benefit of this method.
In June 2021 published are also the first results, which show that the number of dengue fever cases could be reduced by 77 percent.
- Djibouti started using GMO mosquitoes to fight malaria
- Mosquitoes with "miracle" bacteria are a weapon in the fight against dengue fever
- Mosquitoes have an appetite: Zika virus and dengue fever make the smell of people more enticing
Revolutionary Doctor Ros
Ronald Ros, British War Surgeon who worked in India, proved on August 20, 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria.
The doctor found malaria parasites in mosquitoes, which fed on the blood of an infected patient.
Ross received the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1902 and was the first to proclaim World Mosquito Day, to draw attention to this vicious disease.
He dies of malaria every year half a million People.
The vaccines found are not effective enough for now, but all eyes are on the last one in the series, which was approved a year ago. Ghana, an African country.
There are also medicines that are used in treatment malaria.
How to protect yourself
- Travelers should take precautions when traveling to areas where there is a possibility of malaria transmission
- Use of means (repellent) that help protect against mosquitoes
- The doctor can prescribe an antimalarial medicine
- The antimalarial medicine is not 100% effective in preventing this disease, therefore protective means should be used.
Source:Institute for Public Health Šabac
Malaria is not the only danger
Malaria is not the only disease for which the female mosquito is to blame.
There is also dengue fever.
More than 10 million cases of dengue fever were registered this year in 176 countries.
The number of cases of chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes, has reached more than 350.000.
European Center for Disease Prevention and Control reported almost 7.000 people infected Zika virus by the end of May this year.
At the end of July, the first case of infection with West Nile fever in 2024 was registered in Serbia, and 14 people have been infected to date, according to the website. Institute for Public Health of Serbia "Milan Jovanović Batut".
There are more than 3.500 species of mosquitoes in the world, while about 40 are registered in Serbia.
U Serbia are the most abundant and numerous household or ordinary mosquitoes (Culex pipiens).
Only female mosquitoes feed on human blood, and that's when they reproduce.
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