MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

Mosquitoes transmit numerous vaccine preventable and non-vaccine preventable diseases

OVERVIEWSIGNS & SYMPTOMSDISEASE PROTECTION

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DISEASE SYMPTOMS CAN BE SEVERE

Of the estimated 700 million people infected with MBDs every year, approximately one million die, making mosquitoes the world’s deadliest animal.1,2

The disease burden may be high for some patients, with certain diseases like chikungunya having the potential to cause severe joint pain pain and persistent illness.3

As shown in the table below, MBDs can cause a wide range of symptoms of variable severity.3-9

As most MBDs do not have specific medicines or treatments, prevention is crucial.10 Reducing mosquito bites and, in some cases, vaccination can lower the risk of developing unpleasant symptoms.11,12

CAN MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES BE TREATED?

With the exception of malaria, no medicines exist to treat MBD, including chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, West Nile fever and Zika.6,13–17 As a result, it is especially important to employ personal protective measures such as using insect repellent and wearing long clothing.18

LEARN MORE ABOUT MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

Get in-depth info on symptoms, diagnosis, disease protection and more.

MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

OVERVIEW

Gain a useful overview of these potentially fatal diseases.

MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

DISEASE PROTECTION

Help protect your patients against the risk of contracting mosquito-borne diseases.

Useful Links
References
  1. Mosquito-Borne Diseases. In: Zika Virus Disease. Academic Press; 2018:27-45. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780128123652000032. Accessed: July 2026.
  2. Ritchie H, Spooner F. What are the world’s deadliest animals, and can we protect ourselves against them? Our World in Data. March 2026. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/deadliest-animals. Accessed: July 2026.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of Chikungunya. Chikungunya Virus. June 2026. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/signs-symptoms/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of Dengue and Testing. Dengue. August 2025. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/signs-symptoms/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.
  5. World Health Organisation. Japanese encephalitis fact sheet. August 2024. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/japanese-encephalitis. Accessed: July 2026.
  6. World Health Organization. Malaria fact sheet. December 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria. Accessed: July 2026.
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of West Nile. West Nile Virus. June 2026. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/signs-symptoms/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of Yellow Fever. Yellow Fever Virus. June 2026. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-fever/signs-symptoms/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika Symptoms and Complications. Zika Virus. January 2025. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/zika/signs-symptoms/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.
  10. Jackman JA, Shi PY, Cho NJ. Targeting the Achilles Heel of Mosquito-Borne Viruses for Antiviral Therapy. ACS Infect Dis. 2019;5(1):4-8.
  11. NHS. Travel Vaccinations. April 2023. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/travel-vaccinations/available-travel-vaccines. Accessed: July 2026.
  12. UK Health Security Agency. Mosquito bite avoidance: advice for travellers. January 2023. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mosquito-bite-avoidance-for-travellers/mosquito-bite-avoidance-advice-for-travellers--2. Accessed: July 2026.
  13. World Health Organization. West Nile virus fact sheet. October 2017. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/west-nile-virus. Accessed: July 2026.
  14. World Health Organization. Chikungunya fact sheet. April 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chikungunya. Accessed: July 2026.
  15. World Health Organization. Yellow fever fact sheet. October 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/yellow-fever. Accessed: July 2026.
  16. World Health Organization. Dengue fact sheet. August 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue. Accessed: July 2026.
  17. World Health Organization. Zika virus fact sheet. November 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zika-virus. Accessed: July 2026.
  18. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Mosquito Bites. Mosquitoes. August 2024. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html. Accessed: July 2026.

UK-MBD-2600004 July 2026