When you think of mosquitoes you may just think of them as an annoyance. Come summertime when you’re spending more time outside, the mosquitoes show.

But, the insects are actually one of the deadliest pests on the planet. They spread diseases such as the Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria among others. More than one million people are killed by mosquito-borne diseases each year. The worst of those diseases is malaria, which caused 438,000 deaths in just 2015, according to the WHO.

Not every mosquito-borne disease has a vaccine or a way to treat it once contracted.

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The increase of climate change around the globe has already increased the prevalence of some diseases.

Rising temperatures have helped dengue increase 30-fold in recent decades. More cholera outbreaks have also been linked to the environmental changes.

A recent study shows that heart disease may also be on the rise with the temperatures. But, it appears to be affecting babies more than any other group.

According to the CDC, “every four and a half minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States. That means that 120,000 babies are affected by congenital disabilities each year.” Birth defects can be anything from a deformed limb to muscular dystrophy, or an internal abnormality causing Down syndrome.

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During peak flu season, we may get a bit wary when a person near us sneezes. Maybe they complain of those typical symptoms, like fatigue or muscle aches. We may keep a bit of extra distance from that person, hoping to stay free of that highly-contagious virus.

Thankfully, that’s why many people opt to get the flu shot every year. The vaccine offers the best protection against the flu strains that are expected to circulate that year.

But, sometimes flu season changes a bit, with an unexpected mutated strain. Each time a person becomes sick, the virus changes with the individual’s chemistry and other cells with which it comes in to contact. One of the reasons why the flu is so difficult to predict is because it has various strains that mutate. As a result, scientists and researchers are always updating the flu shot and creating a new vaccine each year in efforts to prevent the illness.

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When you’re sick, people tend to give you a lot of advice: anything ranging from home remedies, medications, or even working out.

There are a lot of contradicting pieces of advice out there about exercising while and after you’re sick. Some people say to rest. Some people say sweat it out.

But, what’s the real answer? How long should you wait to exercise after or when you’re sick?

The answer isn’t so simple.

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The risks of malaria affect travelers and locals alike in over 100 countries.

Luckily, preparation and vaccination can help us eliminate a lot of that risk. Unfortunately, malaria remains one of the world’s most dangerous viruses that we still don’t have a vaccine for.

The mosquito-borne disease is usually found in Africa and South America. Without early detection, it can be incredibly hard to stop the virus. The WHO estimates that in 2016 alone, 216 million clinical cases of malaria occurred with 445,000 of those cases leading to death.

Without a vaccine to speak of, preparation becomes even more important for travelers. But, that task gets even harder for pregnant women. There has been no chance for pregnant women to protect themselves as well as others against the disease.

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Since the global outbreak began a few years ago, we’ve been in search of a Zika vaccine. While there has been reason for hope in the past, we still don’t have immunization to prevent the virus.

In early 2019, there still isn’t an approved vaccine for the Zika virus. But, we do know that previous exposure to one other virus could reduce the risks of Zika.

Published on January 22, a recent study on PLOS medicine showed that children were 38 percent less likely to get sick from the Zika virus if they already had dengue fever in the past.

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Toward the end of January, the World Health Organization published their top 10 health threats. These threats included vaccine hesitancy, which was among health problems such as Ebola and climate change.

The WHO publishes this list every year to create strategic plans which address the top issues.

According to the WHO, vaccine hesitancy is “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines.”

Currently, vaccinations are able to prevent 2-3 million deaths each year. This number could rise by 1.5 million if vaccinations were accessible and used throughout the world.

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We’re all familiar with the sense of dread that comes when you realize you’re getting a case of the winter sniffles – often cold or flu. Although, it’s thought that over two million Americans actually deal with walking pneumonia each year, and many may not even realize it.

What is Walking Pneumonia?

If you’ve never heard of walking pneumonia, you’re not alone. The disease goes unheard of for many, despite affecting 2 million people in the United States every year.

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Do you know what the active ingredient is in many insect repellants? If you said, “DEET” you’re correct.

DEET is a chemical ingredient that has been used since the 1940s as the active ingredient in over 500 brands of insect repellants. Although, in recent years consumers have become educated about chemicals used in household and personal products. Many have expressed concerns about applying these chemicals to children’s sensitive skin.

As a result, people are looking for an alternative, especially a plant-based option. One other increasing factor is that DEET is becoming less effective in deterring mosquitoes. These pesky insects are now developing a resistance to the synthetic ingredient.

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Despite the many mosquito-borne outbreaks worldwide, researchers aren’t guessing with these diseases.

Scientists are able to take data and create roadmaps for predicted mosquito-borne diseases. They can find which diseases pose a risk in different regions of the world. The key for this data is local wildlife species and which ones are most likely to host flaviviruses.

What Are These Roadmaps?

The CDC describes flaviviradae as a group of connected, RNA viruses with a single strand. They add that, “members of this family that belong to a single genus, Flavivirus, cause widespread morbidity and mortality throughout the world.” Some of these mosquito-transmitted viruses include yellow fever, dengue fever, West Nile, and the Zika virus.

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