Mosquito-Borne Diseases: Malaria, Dengue, Zika & More – Symptoms & Prevention

Mosquitoes (Aedes, Anopheles, Culex) transmit pathogens causing massive global morbidity.

Major Diseases

Disease	Pathogen	Vector	Key Features
Malaria	Plasmodium spp.	Anopheles	Cyclic fever, anemia, cerebral; 600K+ deaths/yr
Dengue	Flavivirus (4 serotypes)	Aedes aegypti	Breakbone fever; DHF/DSS severe forms
Zika	Flavivirus	Aedes	Mild rash/fever; microcephaly, GBS in pregnancy
Chikungunya	Alphavirus	Aedes	Severe polyarthralgia (chronic)
Yellow Fever	Flavivirus	Aedes/Haemagogus	Jaundice, hemorrhage; vaccine available
West Nile	Flavivirus	Culex	Neuroinvasive in <1%; older adults at risk
Japanese Encephalitis	Flavivirus	Culex	Encephalitis; vaccine for travelers/endemic

Prevention

• EPA-registered repellents (DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus).
• Permethrin-treated clothing.
• Eliminate standing water (breeding sites).
• Screens, bed nets (especially in endemic areas).
• Vaccines: Yellow fever, JE, Dengue (Dengvaxia – seropositive only).