|
|
Article: Little bugs, big bites. (mosquitos and ticks)(includes related article)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- April 1, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
"Little strokes fell big oaks." What Ben Franklin observed in 1750 is true today when we look at the suffering some tiny insects can bring to humans. There are mosquitos that carry malaria, five kinds of encephalitis, dengue fever, or yellow fever. There are fleas that spread typhus and the plague, and ticks no larger than a pinhead spreading Lyme disease and 13 other diseases.
Insects are seldom the actual cause of disease. But they can spread disease.
Mosquitos and Malaria
Every year, 200 million to 400 million people develop malaria, and 2 million to 3 million die. This disease, which is most prevalent in Africa, South America, and ...