Mosquitos have been plaguing this planet all the way back to prehistoric times. Since then, these resilient bloodsuckers have become infamous murderers due to their ability to pass fatal diseases on a massive scale, and the CDC has even called them the “World’s Deadliest Animal.” Some of the most common diseases mosquitos pass include:

• Malaria – Classically, malaria presents in three stages, a cold/shivering stage, a hot/fever stage, and lastly a sweating stage. Unfortunately, due to the commonality of many of the symptoms with the common flu, malaria is sometimes misdiagnosed initially in countries where the disease is not prevalent (such as the United States). In some cases, malaria can become very severe and can even be fatal. In this case, it is considered a medical emergency and needs to be treated both aggressively and quickly to avoid permanent damage and/or death.
• Yellow Fever – Thankfully, as there currently is no cure for the virus, most people infected will either have mild symptoms or no symptoms whatsoever, leading to a full recovery. In a symptomatic transmission people may develop a fever, chills, aches, back pain, fatigue, and nausea/vomiting. While severe cases are more unlikely, they have a high fatality rate with between 30-60% of those infected succumbing to the disease.
• Zika Virus – Luckily, most people who contract the Zika virus will either have no symptoms, or very mild symptoms that do not last long and are often fully healed within a week. Unfortunately, there is neither a vaccine nor any cure for Zika virus at this time. The best way to combat the virus is to treat the symptoms by drinking fluids, getting plenty of rest and consulting your physician as to what kinds of over the counter medicines may be most helpful to relieve any further discomforts.
• West Nile virus – With West Nile virus it can take between 2-14 days for symptoms to begin showing up. Common symptoms include fever, aches, fatigue, vomiting, and rash. While it is very rare, roughly 1 out of every 150 people infected may develop a serious infection that attacks the neurological system resulting in encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).