Celebrate Today By Protecting Your Home Against Mosquitos
Today is World Health Day, when we celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948 by taking time to think about health problems that impact our global community.
This year’s focus is vector-borne diseases, which are diseases spread by small organisms and parasites such as mosquitoes, sandflies, and ticks. Thankfully, in Florida we have many available protections against these pests and we’re less likely to be infected with severe vector-borne diseases.
The deadliest disease carried by these organisms is malaria, which killed as many as 660,000 people in 2010. Those killed were most often African children. The fastest-spreading disease is dengue and it is reaching new areas of the world every month because travelers aren’t getting vaccines before they vacation in dengue danger areas.
Are You At Risk?
While these are often not found in the U.S., mosquitoes and ticks do spread do spread diseases we’re familiar with such as Lyme disease. To help prevent catching something from vectors, WHO suggests you take these precautions:
- Install window screens to keep bugs out of your home.
- Use insect repellent when outside.
- Clean your yard and get rid of places where water sits and mosquitoes breed, such as old flower pots and used tires.
- Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when working outside.
- Check for ticks after an adventure in the woods.
- Get vaccinated against the diseases common to the area you live or are visiting.
An essential part to World Health Day is also spreading the message to expand the reach of WHO’s campaign. People’s Trust urges you to share this page or materials from the World Health Organization with your friends and family both in person and on social media.
It’s a day to think globally about what we can do to keep our world a healthier, safer place.