What Everyone In West Palm Beach Needs To Know About Mosquitoes & Dangerous Diseases
If you were to guess, what would you say is the fastest way to get a disease? Was your first answer, to be bitten by a mosquito? If not, we have some unfortunate news for you today. There is a good reason mosquitoes are considered the most dangerous creatures on the planet. With every bite, these needle-nosed pests run the risk of transmitting dangerous diseases. If you are not careful, this could happen to you. To help you stay safe from the dangers of mosquitoes, here is everything you need to know.
Common Area Mosquitoes
There are a few species of mosquito that live here in West Palm Beach. The two that are most common are the Asian tiger mosquitoes and the yellow fever mosquitoes. You can identify Asian tiger mosquitoes by their white and black striped bodies and legs, and yellow fever mosquitoes by their dark brown to black bodies and silvery-white markings.
The Deadliest Animals
Mosquitoes are responsible for roughly one million deaths each year. That’s over twice the number of deaths caused by humans. The question is, why is this number so high? It all comes down to two things, a mosquito’s ability to spread disease, and a location’s ability to treat mosquito-borne diseases. When it comes to spreading dangerous diseases, mosquitoes are professionals. If you didn’t know, mosquitoes do not sterilize their needle noses after they bite people. All it takes is a group of hungry mosquitos and one infected human for a whole village to get sick. To help you better understand some of the threats these small pests pose, here are some of the most common diseases mosquitoes transmit and what you need to know about each:
Chikungunya: With chikungunya, symptoms such as joint pain, fever, and headaches present themselves after three to seven days. Although fatality is rare with this disease, it can occur if symptoms become severe enough.
Malaria: Malaria initially shows itself in flu-like symptoms. As time passes, if no treatment is received, more severe symptoms such as kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death, might present themselves.
West Nile Virus: West Nile Virus affects the body causing high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, headaches, tremors, muscle weakness, and in severe cases, causes vision loss, convulsions, numbness, and paralysis.
Yellow Fever: Yellow fever starts with a headache, fever, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea, light sensitivity, dizziness, and the redness of the eyes, face, or tongue. If treatment isn’t found, symptoms might progress into the yellowing of the skin, abdominal pain, vomiting blood, nose bleeds, decreased urination, liver/kidney failure, slow heart rate, and or brain dysfunction.
Dengue: Dengue initially presents itself with a headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea, pain behind the eyes, vomiting, swollen glands, and a rash. If not treated, more severe symptoms including severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, blood inside urine, difficulty breathing, fatigue, cold/clammy skin due to shock, bleeding from the gums/nose, and or irritability/restlessness might also occur.
The good news is that treatment for mosquito-borne diseases is not just affordable here in the United States, but it is also easily accessible. If, after being bitten you notice any symptoms that might indicate disease, schedule a check-up with your doctor to assess your risk.
How To Prevent Mosquitoes
When you're out and about, away from your property, use insect repellent, wear lighter-colored clothing, and avoid moist areas such as swamps and marshlands to avoid mosquitoes. In addition to this, avoid going outside during dusk and dawns as this is when these pests are most active.
To prevent mosquitoes from breeding on your property, get the professionals at Native Pest Management involved with reliable mosquito treatments. We will apply a fast working product around areas where mosquitoes breed and congregate to ensure they stay off your West Palm Beach property where they belong. Give us a call today at Native Pest Management to claim your mosquito-free yard!
