World Mosquito Day on August 20: Fight against Malaria

August 20 is World Mosquito Day. On August 20, 1897, Sir Ronald Ross discovered the link between malaria transmission and mosquitoes. Ross was awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1902, the second person to receive it.

Sir Ronald Ross was a British physician born in Almora, India. He had the breakthrough discovery during the dissection of a specific species of mosquito, the Anopheles, previously fed on a malaria patient. Malaria parasite was found on the mosquito and on its salivary glands.

112 years later, the fight against malaria is still on. Each year, approximately 350 to 500 million people are infected with malaria, killing 1 to 3 million people, mostly young children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only female Anopheles mosquitoes that had previously bitten a person infected malaria will transmit the disease. Currently there is no vaccine that can provide high level of protection, and malaria parasites have evolved to resist many antimalarial drugs.

Today, low tech solution is available to prevent the spread of malaria, such as the Spread the Net campaign and many others. Bed nets can prevent mosquito bites at night, and reduce malaria transmission rate by at least 50%.

Bill Gates is known for his efforts in combating malaria through his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.