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The malaria mosquito is a representative of the fauna of hot countries, but our compatriots are increasingly interested in them. There are several reasons: firstly, the climate is constantly changing, and some representatives of the equatorial fauna are beginning to take root in new territories where the climate is becoming milder, and secondly, our compatriots are increasingly visiting hot countries for a number of reasons, including as tourists . To make visiting these countries safe, every tourist should know what an insect so dangerous to humans looks like and how to protect themselves from the bites of this mosquito.

This article addresses some very important issues. In addition to the fact that a person must visually identify this insect, know why a malaria mosquito is dangerous and what needs to be done in case of a bite.

This insect belongs to the class of dipterous insects. It has its scientific name - Anopheles. As a rule, malaria mosquitoes are carriers of malaria, a disease that is quite dangerous for humans. Moreover, the mosquito itself is not dangerous. It becomes dangerous when it bites an infected person. As a result of this disease, millions of people die every year. Because of this feature, this mosquito was called malaria.

This type of insect is common on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. They cannot be found in the regions of the far north, as well as in deserts. In total, scientists know about 440 species of these insects. This type of mosquito is found not only on African continent, not only in Asia and the USA, but also in Russia, Japan, China, etc. In most countries, this mosquito does not pose a danger due to high level development of healthcare, and also due to the lack of infected people. Therefore, under such conditions, a mosquito cannot become a carrier of malaria.

Humans are bitten exclusively by the female, and males do not bite or feed on human blood.

It is almost impossible to distinguish a malaria mosquito from a regular one, but scientists know about some signs. For example:

Malaria mosquitoes have big sizes(about 2 times) compared to ordinary mosquitoes.
The malaria mosquito has longer hind legs compared to regular mosquitoes.
Female malaria mosquitoes have special tentacles on their heads.
Small black spots can be seen on the wings of malaria mosquitoes.
When they drink blood, they lift up their rear end strongly, while ordinary mosquitoes are in a horizontal position.
Before attacking the victim, these mosquitoes perform something in the form of a dance.

If a number of signs coincide, then it is better to destroy such an insect immediately or leave the danger zone.

The bite mechanism of all mosquitoes is almost the same and is not very painful, since the insect produces an anesthetic and releases it into the wound. Mosquitoes lay eggs near bodies of water and after 3 weeks young individuals emerge from them. After the insect goes through all stages of development, it can live for another month.

Who has not experienced the bites of ordinary mosquitoes? There are probably no such people, except for those who live closer to north pole. We can say that this is an ordinary event, but after being bitten by a malaria mosquito, unforeseen consequences are possible if you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner. Therefore, it is very important to know what exactly the malaria mosquito bit. As far as we know, up to 3 million people die from malaria every year. Of these, 85% are residents of hot countries, and the remaining 15% are representatives of other regions that do not have a hot climate. Therefore, get infected dangerous illnesses Anyone can do it and it is not necessary to visit hot countries.

Malaria mosquitoes can infect humans with dangerous diseases, such as:

Malaria. This disease has been known for a long time, but still effective treatment nothing has been invented other than the use of antiviral drugs that prevent viruses from multiplying to a dangerous threshold. Malarial plasmodia enter the human body and accumulate in the liver, where they begin to multiply very actively. After this, they appear in the blood and cause irreparable damage to human health. The disease is dangerous because only in the last stages do symptoms such as chills, fever, myalgia, and headache begin to appear. If the disease is not treated, it leads to kidney failure and then death.
Zika virus. This disease is dangerous for expectant mothers because it provokes the development of microcephaly - the birth of a child with a small head. This pathology can occur as a result of infection of either parent. There is no cure for this disease. Some victims may experience unpleasant symptoms, such as high body temperature, rashes on the body, joint pain, and red eyes.
West Nile virus. This virus is transmitted through the blood of birds and affects the central nervous system, causing inflammation of the brain, now known as encephalitis. Severe cases may occur, leading to seizures, coma and, even worse, death. Some people’s bodies react asymptomatically and immediately develop immunity.
Dengue fever. The symptoms are the same as for other ailments. After one week of this condition, bruises and bleeding appear in various organs of the human body. Typically, 5% of people infected with dengue fever die.
Yellow fever. The virus is characterized by the presence of an incubation period of 6 days, after which the victim develops chills, headache, and nausea. During the course of the disease, periods of remission are observed, after which the symptoms noticeably intensify. The patient experiences abdominal pain, vomiting and nosebleeds. There is no cure for the disease, so the only way to protect yourself from it is with a vaccine. In cases of infection, between 15 and 50 percent of those infected die.

Considering the fact that malaria mosquitoes pose a particular danger to humans, if dangerous symptoms are detected, it is better to immediately consult a doctor, which will help save lives.

In fact, there are no special differences and the bite of a malaria mosquito is no different from the bite of an ordinary mosquito.

There is not much swelling at the site of the bite. The size of the swelling is no more than 2 cm in diameter.
The tissues become denser and unpleasant itching appears.

As a rule, such negative symptoms disappear within 20 minutes. If you do not resist and start scratching the wound, then there is a risk of infection of the wound.

Naturally, if you do not see the moment of the bite, then it is impossible to determine which mosquito bit. If a person is predisposed to allergies, the bite may result in rashes on the body or breathing problems. There have not yet been any deaths from ordinary mosquito bites. This is especially true for children and pregnant women. If symptoms do not go away within a few days, then this is a reason to consult a doctor.

Immediately after a bite, the wound can be washed with a disinfectant or alcohol-containing solution, such as vodka, moonshine, cologne, lotion, etc. This will prevent the spread of various infections. To relieve itching, you can apply cold to the bite site for about 20 minutes. In addition:

If heart function deteriorates, a person needs to be given caffeine, cordiamine, and adrenaline.
Take an antihistamine tablet, such as Suprastin, etc.

On a note! The occurrence of allergic reactions is another reason to consult a doctor. The doctor will prescribe the necessary medications to alleviate the suffering of the victim.

How to get rid of malaria mosquitoes

TO effective drugs relate:

Solfisan. Insects do not develop immunity to this drug, and it is harmless to both humans and domestic animals. The action of the insecticide leads to paralysis of the insect and further death. To use against insects, take a 0.12% emulsion and treat areas where insects accumulate.
Cifox. This drug can be used to treat both premises and bodies of water. The product has a detrimental effect on the larvae of malaria mosquitoes. In addition, the product can be used against bedbugs and other insects that appear in a person’s home. The drug protects water bodies for 3 weeks, and premises for 3 months.
Lasavet. This insecticide contains a special protein that leads to the death of mosquito larvae. At the same time, the drug does not have a negative effect on the inhabitants of water bodies. Repeated treatment will be required only if malaria mosquito larvae are detected.

The following products are used:

LN001. This trap attracts insects by emitting heat rays. The device can operate continuously for 1 month.
INADAY'S INATRAP. This product is characterized by the fact that it emits a gas that has a detrimental effect on mosquitoes, while the gas is safe for humans and pets.

Use of fumigators

These are special devices that, when heated, release toxic substances that instantly kill mosquitoes. Only high-quality, non-counterfeit products are considered safe. These are:

Raptor. You can buy both liquid and plates. The device is connected to a 220 V network. When the product heats up, it emits vapors that are dangerous to insects.
Mosquitoll. Very effective remedy against all types of mosquitoes. The principle of action of the drug is the same as that of Raptor.

How to protect yourself from malaria mosquitoes: useful tips

It should always be remembered that malaria mosquitoes pose a serious threat to humans. One mosquito can infect dozens of people with malaria and other serious illnesses, which can lead to the widespread spread of these diseases. Unfortunately, modern medicine There is no cure for these diseases, but there are antiviral drugs that can suppress the development of infections so that they cannot develop into a full-fledged disease.

There are high-risk areas on the planet. Therefore, when traveling to these countries, a person must take special medications for 1 week. These are drugs such as Chloroquine, Fansidar, Metakelfin and others. They should be taken while in the risk zone and for another week after arriving from it. Although they cannot protect against infection, they will help you survive the infection without complications.

This insect, in the opinion of zoologists, is even quite cute. It has an oblong body, long legs and sensitive antennae, it is referred to as Just “cute”, and it is called. Why is its bite dangerous? We'll talk about this later.

Another name for this insect is “anopheles”. It is widespread, but the most dangerous species live in southern regions. They carry not only malaria, but also Japanese encephalitis and Dengue fever.

Are the common mosquito and the malaria mosquito similar? Why is the latter dangerous? Both species are bloodsuckers, but only females drink blood, and males are quite harmless. Slightly different appearance. Anopheles has dark spots on its wings and its abdomen is raised up when landing. Females lay eggs in stagnant waters, most often in swampy areas. There the larvae live, breathe through peculiar tubes, feed by passing water through themselves and filtering out small particles. When it is time to hatch, the pupa rises to the surface and an adult insect flies out.

Why is malaria dangerous for animals and humans? They are quite painful, cause itching, redness and allergies. This is the case if the mosquito is not infected. If he is infected, the consequences can be very dire, since malaria

refers to diseases that have high mortality statistics. It is caused by microorganisms called "plasmodia". The bite of a malaria mosquito allows the pathogen to enter the bloodstream. But plasmodia do not just use anopheles as transport, they are an incubator for them. Therefore, the fight against malaria mosquitoes in many countries was and is being carried out at the state level.

But identifying it was not enough; it was necessary to develop a strategy for fighting. The most effective method has been the drainage of wetlands. This is what they did at the mouth of the Rhine. Now few people remember that there was a breeding ground for a dangerous infection. This was done in the forests of Abkhazia, where they planted eucalyptus trees, which pumped water out of the swamps, and small gambusia fish were introduced into the remaining ones; they are natural enemies of mosquitoes and feed on their larvae. But there are still plenty of places on Earth, completely undeveloped, where malaria thrives. This primarily concerns the central regions of Africa and South America, this is where the most dangerous outbreaks are now located. All tourists should remember that there are no vaccinations against this disease, but you can be saved if you only start taking quinine in time.

Main vector of malaria

The malaria mosquito enjoys notoriety. Is there any reason for this? Where do these insects live? How dangerous is the malaria mosquito? What should you do to minimize the risk of infection? It is worth addressing these issues because different kinds Mosquitoes are fairly common insects, and they exist in almost all corners of the earth. They can be annoying with their squeaks and cause irritation at the site of the bite. But what happens if a malaria mosquito bites you? If we're talking about about a serious health hazard, knowledge can save lives.

General information about the malaria mosquito

The malaria mosquito, or Anopheles, is a genus of dipterous insects, of which there are about 400 species in the world.

Where do these mosquitoes live? It is easier to list where they are not, since their habitats are very extensive. The Far North, Antarctica and deserts are areas where such mosquitoes are not found. The malaria mosquito in Russia is represented by 10 species. You can meet him in the European part of the country and Western Siberia. IN Eastern Siberia they do not survive due to harsh winters. On Far East one of the species was discovered, but it is impossible to get malaria from it, because the climate of that area does not allow you to finish life cycle malarial plasmodium in the body of a mosquito.

The malaria mosquito holds its abdomen upward, while the ordinary mosquito holds its abdomen parallel.

It doesn’t hurt to know what a malaria mosquito looks like (photo). It has several significant differences from a regular mosquito:

the sting and a pair of antennae are the same length, whereas the usual one is much shorter;
at rest, the back of the body is raised and the head is lowered due to the fact that the legs at the back are longer than the front ones (ordinary mosquitoes sit upright or slightly lower their abdomen);
on its wings the Anopheles mosquito has dark spots, which most ordinary representatives do not have;
this insect performs a kind of dance before settling on the skin of its victim.

The life cycle of insects is associated with a body of water, but they choose clean, non-acidified water. Having found appropriate place for offspring, the female lays from 50 to 150 or more eggs. There, each malaria mosquito larva develops to the adult stage.

Danger and symptoms

Not every mosquito that bites you is dangerous. The male insect feeds first on plankton, then on plant juice and nectar. Blood is not needed for its life. Most Throughout her life, the female malaria mosquito feeds the same way, except for the period after fertilization. For the development of eggs, she needs protein, so she rushes in search of a victim, and does this quite successfully, because she is able to smell it at a distance of more than a kilometer. But the bite of a malaria mosquito becomes dangerous only when it has bitten a patient with malaria. From this point on, a week later and for 14 to 50 days, the female carries Plasmodium, which is the causative agent of malaria. Fortunately, a malarial mosquito whose bite infects the insect itself does not pass it on to its offspring.

When traveling to countries with a high risk of infection, it is important to know the symptoms of malaria. The incubation period can last from 7 to 40 days. The first signs after a bite appear in the form of low fever, headache, chills, nausea and vomiting. In the absence of timely treatment, periodic attacks of fever occur:

Symptoms of infection

the chills become very strong, the patient literally shakes for half an hour to three hours, the skin turns pale, the fingertips turn blue, breathing is intermittent;
body temperature rapidly rises to 40ºС and above;
the fever is often accompanied by convulsions, the bitten person becomes delirious, the heartbeat quickens, breathing becomes more labored, the skin of the face turns red;
the last phase is characterized by a sharp decrease in temperature, heavy sweating, well-being improves, the patient begins to breathe evenly and falls asleep.

Such attacks last from 5 to 10 hours, sometimes about a day. After a lull, they repeat after 3-4 days. After several such attacks, an enlargement of the spleen and liver is observed, the patient becomes weaker, and the skin becomes yellowish. Sometimes children develop fulminant cerebral edema during an attack, which leads to cardiac and respiratory arrest and causes death. Because malaria is a fatal disease, delaying treatment can be life-threatening.

Prevention and treatment

Before going to any country, you need to find out what dangerous diseases are common there, and get vaccinated against them. This also applies to countries where malarial mosquitoes are common. Mosquito nets should be installed in the room, and protective curtains should be installed above the bed. When outdoors, treat exposed areas of your body with repellent or wear closed clothing, then there will be nowhere to bite. Such actions will be a sign of the tourist’s awareness and prudence. If there is a sign of infection, the specialist will prescribe effective comprehensive treatment.