Mosquitoes, more dangerous than predatory animals, kill 725,000 people annually
Scary animals appearing in horror movies are mainly predatory animals such as lions, crocodiles, sharks, and hippos. But in fact, they aren’t the animals that cause the most human deaths each year around the world.
According to a 2015 survey by French polling company Ipsos, half of respondents said sharks were “absolutely terrifying.” Because of this, he also replied that he was afraid of swimming in the sea. But the chance of dying from a shark bite is lower than the chance of dying from a coconut falling from a tree, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
It is true that sharks are ferocious animals, but there is another animal that is the most threatening to humans. It is ‘mosquito’.
Mosquitoes cause malaria and dengue fever and threaten human life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquito-borne diseases kill 725,000 people worldwide each year.
Mosquitoes are carriers of many serious diseases, including malaria and dengue fever, as well as Japanese encephalitis, Zika, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis, chikungunya, Rift Valley fever, and West Nile fever.
After the mosquito, the deadliest animal to humans is the freshwater snail, which kills 200,000 people a year. It is followed by saw-scale vipers, which kill 138,000 people, stingray bloodsuckers 10,000, scorpions 2,600, roundworms 2,500, saltwater crocodiles 1,000, elephants and hippos 500 each.
What about people? Will it kill more people than mosquitoes? According to a graph shared by Bill Gates on his blog, mosquitoes kill 725,000 people a year while humans kill 475,000.
So how can we protect ourselves from mosquitoes? According to WHO statistics, 96% of deaths from malaria occur in African countries. Malaria, dengue fever, chikungunya, etc. are prevalent in Southeast Asia, so refraining from visiting those countries, especially during the rainy season, is an important way to minimize mosquito bites.
If there is stagnant water on the rugged ground near the house or on the pot stand, it is good to remove it, and if there is water stored outside, cover it with a fine mesh. In seasons or regions with high mosquitoes, wear light-colored long-sleeved clothes and use mosquito repellents and insect screens.
