Mosquitoes Die From Biting You!

Can a mosquito die from biting you?

That’s some headline huh? And it may actually be one that you see in the future. As we all know malaria is a terrible disease, spread by mosquitoes, that affects 200 million people across the globe each year. With that kind of severity, it’s no wonder that scientists are trying anything and everything to take control of it, in hopes of eradicating it completely. However, in an article on NPR online, Dr. Menno Smit, of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine stated that “Since 2015, the number of annual deaths from malaria has stabilized. We’re not making any more progress. We need new tools.” Research shows that mosquitoes carrying malaria are becoming resistant to the insecticides meant to kill them. In comes Dr. Smit’s research.

Mosquito Control Research

Dr. Smit’s study was recently featured in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, telling of his research into a drug initially used to fight the parasites that cause river blindness and elephantiasis. The drug is called ivermectin and can, when injected into the human bloodstream, kill mosquitoes after they feed on these humans.

Dr. Smit and his researchers gave subjects 600 milligrams of ivermectin for three days in a row. The blood was then extracted and given to malaria-carrying mosquitoes through artificial membranes they could feed on. Within two weeks 97% of these mosquitoes were dead.

The results continued to be the same for up to a month, which is longer than was expected. The side effects of the drug in the study were mild, but the subjects already had malaria so because of their weakened state they may have just gone unnoticed.

In addition, another doctor who wasn’t part of the study, Dr. Peter Hortez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, emailed NPR saying “The drug has an excellent safety track record from its use in mass drug administration campaigns in Africa.” He also stated that it could be successful in the efforts of malaria prevention and control as a supplementary method. A second doctor contacted NPR about the study as well. Dr. Regina Rabinovich, a malaria scholar at Harvard University, suggesting the need for several approaches to fighting malaria is necessary and while this is a good possibility, it needs testing in areas with high concentrations of malaria.

Pretty interesting concept, huh?

In Minnesota, where the state bird is the mosquito, do you want to wait until the mosquitoes bite us to get rid of them? I think not.

At Mosquito Squad of the Twin Cities, we understand the need to continue researching ways to control Malaria as it’s a terrible killer. However, here at home we aren’t going to wait until they bite us and leave us itching and scratching to get rid of mosquitoes. 

Barrier Treatment, Barrier Treatment, Barrier Treatment. 

We can’t say it enough. Our trained technicians will come out and treat your yard, eliminating 85-90% of the mosquitoes for up to three weeks. We just can’t see the need to deal with the effects of mosquito bites when you can get rid of them before they get that chance. Call us today and we can schedule your first mosquito control treatment of which we are sure there will be many. You’re going to love your pest-free summer!