World Mosquito Day is commemorated every year on the 20th of August. The day brings an opportunity to raise awareness on the dangers posed by mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, and the ongoing efforts to combat them.
Both malaria and dengue are transmitted by female mosquitoes and cause severe illness in humans. The two diseases have some similarities, and mosquito species are often confused by patients and medical personnel.
Malaria is a leading cause of death in the world, with 200 million cases reported every year worldwide, leading to 600,000 deaths. Most of these deaths happen in Africa, affecting children and pregnant women most. In 2022, WHO reported that Africa was home to 94% of malaria cases at 233 million and 95% at 580 000 of malaria deaths. Children under five accounted for about 78% of all malaria deaths.
Similarly, the global incidence of dengue has grown significantly in recent decades. Cases reported to WHO increased from 505,430 in 2000 to 6.5 million in 2023.
“Dengue and malaria are two very different diseases caused by different pathogens and different mosquito species. Misdiagnosis between malaria and dengue is common and this can then contribute to inappropriate medical care,” says Dr. Charles Guissou, co-Principal Investigator for Target Malaria Burkina Faso at the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS).
In his remarks on Malaria prevalence in Africa, Krystal Birungi, Field Entomology Coordinator for Target Malaria Uganda at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) said, “At Target Malaria we are committed to contributing to an Africa free of malaria. We also want to be able to educate as many people as possible about the differences between the Anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria, and the Aedes mosquito that carries the dengue virus. Malaria and dengue should be distinguished from each other so that adequate preventions and treatments can occur.”
Target Malaria is pioneering the use of gene drive, a natural genetic mechanism, to spread a genetic modification in malaria mosquitoes. This mechanism biases the rate of inheritance and affects their ability to reproduce and holds the promise of being a sustainable and cost-effective method to reduce the population of malaria mosquitoes.