From its reputation as the world’s deadliest creature to several people afflicted by its
dangerous bite, this is what happens when mosquitoes attack.
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Number 5 Maria McGranaghan While vacationing with her family on the Greek
island of Corfu, 13-year-old Maria McGranaghan decided to sleep outside to cope with the
intense heat.
In doing so, the teenager from Manchester, England, suffered a number of mosquito bites
all-over her body.
She developed a rash on her face, which was treated when she returned to England.
A few days after she’d returned, McGranaghan complained about feeling sick, dizzy and cold.
She then suddenly collapsed in front of her friends.
McGranaghan was pronounced dead on arrival to the emergency room.
Doctors later discovered that she’d suffered a fatal heart attack.
The teen was fit and in good health so there were no apparent natural causes to explain
her death.
Doctors believed that she’d contracted a virus from the mosquito bites which attacked
her heart muscles.
Next up there’s an Indian woman who’s never worn shoes because of her mosquito-borne
condition but first let’s learn more about these dangerous creatures.
Mosquitoes are small winged insects belonging to Diptera, the order of flies.
They have a single pair of wings, a slender segmented body and three pairs of very thin
legs.
The infamous buzzing sound that mosquitoes make is produced by the rapid movement of
their wings, which can flap over 600 times per second.
For most species, adult females have a tube-like mouthpart, called a proboscis.
It enables them to pierce through a host’s skin and feed on its blood.
There are few creatures in the animal kingdom that are exempted from a mosquito’s blood-sucking
ways.
Its victims include mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and a number of fish and invertebrate
species.
The actual loss of blood is typically of no consequence to a human host.
An itchy rash will typically form and it’s caused by a reaction to the mosquito’s saliva.
Yet, this creature has earned a reputation as the planet’s ultimate human killer.
This is due to the fact that they’re carriers for a number of potentially lethal diseases.
Before we move on, answer this question.
Why do mosquitoes need our blood? a.
To regenerate their tissue b.
To lay eggs c.
For daily sustenance d.
To attract mates Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer!
Number 4 Tawheeda Jan Also known as lymphatic filarial disease,
elephantiasis is a parasitic infection caused by filarial worms which are spread by mosquitoes.
It affects the lymphatic system and blocks the flow of lymph through the body.
This causes severe swelling in the arms, breasts, legs or genitalia.
One report from India is particularly terrifying.
In 2018, at the time that media attention was brought to her case, Tawheeda Jan, still
in her early 20s, had never worn shoes.
Jan’s feet were already swollen as a baby and they only kept on growing.
The severe bullying she’d suffered at school eventually made her quit her studies.
Jan had most of her toes amputated when she was 14, in an effort to stop her feet from
growing.
It didn’t work and years of treatment ultimately proved unsuccessful.
At 11 inches long and 7 inches wide her feet were roughly the size of footballs.
Even as heavy snow fell on her remote village in the Kashmir region, Jan still had to walk
barefoot.
She told a media outlet that her one dream was to one day wear shoes like her friends.
Before we get to our next listing involving a viral outbreak in the US, let’s see where
mosquitoes are located on the globe.
Mosquitoes enjoy a world-wide distribution, with the exception of Antarctica and a number
of islands with polar or subpolar climates, such as Iceland.
In arctic or subarctic regions, such as Alaska or Canada, mosquitoes may only be active for
a few weeks.
However, it’s within that time that they form monstrous swarms that have become the
bane of people, caribou, reindeer and other mammals living in the frozen north.
There aren’t many animals to feed on so, according to one researcher, when they do
find one “They are ferocious.
They’re relentless.
They do not stop.”
Climate change has reportedly exacerbated the Arctic swarm issue in recent years.
Number 3 Triple E Deaths in the US In September 2019, a Triple E outbreak was
reported in the United States, particularly in Michigan and New England.
Across the nation, 11 people lost their lives, as of October 15, 2019.
The virus has also been found in goats and horses.
Triple E, or eastern equine encephalitis was actually first recognized in the US, in 1831.
The disease was identified after 75 horses mysteriously succumbed to viral encephalitis.
It’s caused by the Togavirus, which is vectored through mosquito bites.
In humans, Triple E begins with headaches, fever, chills and vomiting.
It can then progress to brain inflammation, seizures, coma and death.
According to the Center for Disease Control about one in three people who get Triple E
die.
Coming up next, a mosquito bite leaves a 6-year-old girl unable to recognize her own parents,
but first let’s go over how mosquitoes can kill you.
According to one hair-rising estimation mosquitoes may be responsible for killing as many as
half of all the people who’ve ever lived.
Various species act as vectors for viruses and parasites that cause diseases.
Mosquitoes don’t typically exhibit symptoms as they transmit these organisms from person
to person.
One example is the Plasmodium parasites carried by female mosquitoes in the Anopheles genus.
They can cause malaria, which claims anywhere from 500,000 to 1,000,000 lives each year,
particularly in Africa and Latin America.
Other mosquito-borne diseases include West Nile virus, Zika virus, yellow fever, dengue
fever or various type of encephalitis.
Mosquitoes transmit these diseases to over 700 million people each year, claiming at
least 2 million lives.
Number 2 Lauren Zehner In the spring of 2019, 6-year-old Lauren Zehner
was bit by a mosquito and soon started to develop a fever.
Her parents took her to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio.
The child was diagnosed with a typical UTI and sent home.
That same day, Lauren started exhibiting a worrisome behavior.
She was confused and didn’t know who her parents were.
The child asked for water but threw the glass away when it was brought to her.
She was taken back to the hospital, where doctors had to sedate her so they could take
a blood sample.
They discovered that her brain had swollen and determined she’d developed a rare condition
called La Crosse encephalitis.
It’s caused by an arbovirus and vectored by the eastern tree-hole mosquito.
Lauren suffered several seizures over the next few days, as her body tackled the infection.
Her life was saved but doctors warned her parents she might suffer from cognitive setbacks
following her ordeal.
Before we move on to our next case involving a British lecturer left paralyzed by a bite,
let’s see what measures can be taken against mosquitoes.
People most vulnerable to mosquito bites include pregnant women, people with type O blood as
well as those with high body heat.
Each disease contracted through a mosquito bite requires a specific form of treatment.
As it’s usually the case, time is of the essence in contacting a medical professional.
Researchers around the world are constantly working to improve the medicine and therapies
for combating mosquito-borne illnesses.
For most people prevention is key and it involves using nets, repellents and insecticides in
areas where diseases are endemic.
If you’re travelling to one of these regions, getting vaccinated properly can mean the difference
between life and death.
On a larger scale, scientists are looking at various ways of controlling the mosquito
population.
This has been done through the release of predators such as fish, lizards and dragonflies,
through parasites such as fungi or through the introduction of sterile males.
However, when it comes to the future of mosquito containment or eradication, the most promising
research involves genetic engineering.
So, why do mosquitoes need our blood?
Despite a common misconception that it’s for daily sustenance, the right answer was
b, to lay eggs.
The females of many mosquito species need the nutrients from blood metal before they
can produce eggs.
The blood of humans and other vertebrates has the necessary iron and protein for this
biological process.
For daily sustenance, both males and females typically feed on plant juices and nectar.
Number 1 Sophie Williams In 2015, British university lecturer Sophie
Williams and some students went on a trip to China, in order to research the illegal
orchid trade.
The woman had just gotten her dream job as a permanent staff member at Bangor University,
one of the top academic institutions in her native Wales.
During the trip to China, Williams was bitten by a mosquito and started complaining about
headaches and nausea.
She then fell unconscious near the Laos and Myanmar border.
Doctors determined that she’d contracted Japanese encephalitis and she was flown to
a hospital in Bangkok.
Williams spent weeks in a coma, connected to a life-support machine.
She was left paralyzed and dependent on a ventilator.
She was eventually flown back to Wales, where she’d spend months in an old people’s
home, needing round-the-clock care.
The disease she’d contracted is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus that uses
pigs or wild birds as hosts.
It can be transmitted to humans via mosquito bites.
In severe cases, inflammation of the brain may occur and about half the people who recover
experience permanent problems.
The disease may be prevented through a vaccine but, once infected, there’s no specific
treatment.
Thanks for watching!
Would you rather be locked in a room with a swarm of mosquitoes OR jump in a swimming
pool filled with leeches?
Let us know in the comments section below!