World Mosquito Day is celebrated each year on August 20. This day was first established in 1897 when British officer Dr. Ronald Ross discovered the link between mosquitoes and malaria, and that female mosquitoes transmit protozoan malaria parasites to humans. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work in 1902.  While advances have been made in eliminating the health burden of malaria, mosquito insecticide resistance and parasite drug resistance remain key barriers to malaria eradication.

World Mosquito Day is an annual public health awareness day supported by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA), with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of mosquito control to prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Environmental health professionals are on the front lines of helping communities reduce the threats from mosquitoes and other vectors. Check out the NEHA Vectors and Public Health Pests webpage for some resources.

Watch the CDC ‘World Mosquito Day August 20th’ video.

Source: AMCA