A Global Heath Crisis
That relentless buzz in your ear isn’t just annoying, it’s the sound of a tiny predator. Aedes aegypti, the mosquito behind Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever, has turned humanity’s backyards into hunting grounds, proving that the deadliest threats often come in the smallest packages. The sections below will introduce you to the our horrors of Aedes aegypti's bite.
Dengue
A bite from Aedes aegypti can lead to the contraction of Dengue fever. Symptoms will begin to set in at 4 to 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms include: High fever often reaching 104°F. Intense headaches, described as a “bone-breaking” sensation. Severe joint and muscle pain, which gives dengue its nickname, “breakbone fever”. A rash a few days after the fever begins. Easy bruising and mild bleeding. Dengue can lead to complications like dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, which can be life-threatening. Early diagnosis and medical care are essential in such cases.
Zika
Aedes aegypti can bite can infect you with the Zika virus. You can prevent bites to reduce your risk of getting an infection, and wearing protection during sex or abstaining. Zika virus can be passed through sex from a person with Zika to their partner.
Zika is generally mild. Hospitalization and death from Zika are uncommon.
Zika infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects and is associated with other pregnancy problems, including fetal loss, stillbirth and preterm birth.
Many people infected with Zika virus will not have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash headache, joint pain, conjunctivitis, and muscle pain
Yellow Fever
You can get yellow fever if you're bitten by an infected Aedes aegypti. Yellow fever is a serious infection spread by mosquitoes. It's found in certain areas of Africa and South and Central America. You should have a yellow fever vaccination if you're traveling to an area where there's a risk of getting it.
Some yellow fever symptoms are similar to flu, such as, high temperature, headache, feeling sick,
aches and pains, loss of appetite, and feeling generally unwell.
More serious symptoms include jaundice, dark pee, stomach pain, bleeding from your eyes, nose, mouth or stomach snd you may even have blood in your vomit stool. These severe symptoms can be fatal.