On the occasion of World Mosquito Day, Dr. Mahesh Wadhwani, Chief of Cardiac Surgery & HOD, Department Of Pediatric And Adult Cardiac Surgery, Paras Hospital Gurgaon, told us everything that we need to know about mosquitoes and how they spread diseases. World Mosquito Day is observed on 20 August every year. This day remembers British doctor Sir Ronald Ross who discovered that the female mosquito transmits malaria between humans, in 1897. The theme for World Mosquito Day 2021 is 'Reaching the zero malaria target'.

These mosquitoes are responsible for many deaths across the world. More than 100 crore infections are caused by these mosquitoes every year, and more than 10 lakh people lose their lives due to the diseases caused by these deadly mosquitoes. Very often it is seen that people don't consider mosquitoes as a serious problem. They are often colloquially termed as "Sada Machhar". Please remember these mosquitoes are the harbingers of many severe diseases and there's nothing like a "Sada Machhar". All of them are potentially deadly.

There are more than 3500 species of mosquitoes across the world and the most common and deadliest one is the Anopheles that causes malaria. The other mosquito which is Aedes, causes diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and zika virus.

Besides this, there are many different kinds of mosquitoes that cause extremely dangerous infections.

Many of these diseases are extremely fatal and there is no cure for many of them. Like dengue is not prevented by any vaccine and there is no specific cure for dengue. Malaria also is potentially fatal in some cases, though it is treatable.

While India wants to be malaria free by 2030, the best way for it to happen is by being mosquito-free. So it’s time to kill the killer.

For parents, the best way to approach this would be to prevent your children from being bitten in the first place. During the rainy season, there is a lot of water pooling at all places and that's why in this season the chances of mosquito-borne diseases is maximum. Simple measures like getting your children to wear full sleeve clothing is a very effective way. Other than that, to prevent any water logging inside and outside, to keep your home and nearby environment safe and clean, is also very important. And most importantly, don't allow the mosquitoes to enter your house. Instantly kill all the mosquitoes that enter your house by using mosquito killing solutions.

Adhering to these simple steps, you can protect your family from various diseases and keep them healthy and safe.