A mosquito’s chunk can set off rather more than an itchy pink bump. The record of adversarial reactions is lengthy, although most mosquito-related ailments trigger signs which can be just like the flu, together with complications, physique aches, joint ache, and fever, says Roxanne Connelly, PhD, a medical entomologist and professor on the College of Florida in Vero Seashore.

“In extreme instances, infections can result in encephalitis [inflammation of the brain], coma, and even loss of life,” Connelly says. “Mosquito-borne diseases are a worldwide concern.”

Whereas your common American mosquito isn’t rather more than a pest, one little chunk from the mistaken bug (within the mistaken neck of the woods) may cause any of the next 5 diseases:

Dengue Fever

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Roughly 22,000 individuals die annually from dengue, and greater than 400 million are contaminated yearly—principally in South America and the tropics, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC). Signs like rash, headache, fever, and physique aches are commonest, and issues could be deadly. By 2085, because the world grows hotter, specialists predict dengue will influence greater than 5 billion individuals. There isn’t any vaccine, so your solely protection is to dodge dengue hotspots and keep away from mosquito bites, Connelly says. (This is what works in avoiding bites—and what would not.)

MORE: 8 Vegetation That Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Chikungunya Virus
The skeeters that carry this virus are inclined to inhabit nations exterior the US, principally in Africa and Asia. Nonetheless, US vacationers are often contaminated whereas overseas, Connelly says. However that will change, and never for the higher. In 2014, a dozen Florida residents got here down with the virus after struggling bites from native bugs, marking chikungunya’s first look within the States. The virus causes complications and fever, and might evolve into crippling joint ache. There’s at present no vaccine. (Study how one can deal with sickness and create your individual pure magnificence merchandise with twenty first Century Natural by Michael J. Balick, PhD.)

West Nile
This new child on the block—it was first detected in 1999—is “probably the most widespread mosquito diseases within the US proper now,” Connelly notes. (There have been 2,205 reported instances in 2014, so it is nonetheless not quite common.) Whereas lower than 1% of instances flip into one thing extra critical than a headache, and 70 to 80% of individuals exhibit no signs in any respect, almost 100 individuals died after buying the situation final yr. A lot of these deaths could be attributed to West Nile–triggered encephalitis and meningitis (swelling of the tissue that surrounds the mind and spinal twine). “The neurologic implications are very critical,” says Joseph Conlon, a technical advisor with the American Mosquito Management Affiliation in Jacksonville, FL. No immunization is accessible but. 

MORE: What Your Response To Mosquito Bites Says About You

Malaria

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All however eradicated within the US since 1951, malaria stays a distinguished risk in Africa and different elements of the globe. About 1,500 US residents purchase the illness annually whereas touring, and 198 million are impacted worldwide, in line with the CDC. The illness truly comes from a parasite that infects some species of mosquitoes, and it tends to trigger a flu-like sickness in individuals. Thankfully, antimalarial medication can be found, so examine up in your choices and converse to your physician earlier than visiting a hotbed overseas.

MORE: Why Mosquitoes Love To Feast On Your Explicit Blood

Yellow Fever
“Yellow fever is rare within the US now since we’ve got a vaccine,” Conlon says. Nonetheless, it is nonetheless a problem in elements of South America and Africa, the place signs embrace fever, chills, main complications and muscle aches, and sometimes organ failure and loss of life. About 200,000 instances happen annually internationally, leading to 30,000 fatalities, the World Well being Group reviews. Defend your self by getting immunized earlier than touring to any of the most important nations the place the illness is prevalent, and get a booster shot each 10 years in case you proceed to globetrot.