Today World Mosquito Day

World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female anopheline mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans. Prior to the discovery of the transmitting organism, vector, there were few means for controlling the spread of the disease although the discovery of quinine in treatment had alleviated the problem of treatment.

To commemorate this moment in history, World Mosquito Day (WMD) was founded. 

Today, more than 125 years later, mosquito-borne diseases kill more than one million people and infect up to 700 million each year – almost one in ten people.

Already in 2023, there have been more than three million dengue cases and over 1,500 dengue-related deaths globally. Argentina, Peru and Bangladesh have experienced the largest dengue outbreaks in their histories, while Paraguay has witnessed a sharp rise in chikungunya cases.

Read More

• Russia `thwarts` Ukraine drone attack on Moscow region