Every year August 20th is observed all over the globe as World Mosquito Day (WMD) as a way of commemorating the discovery made by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross that female anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria to humans.
The discovery was made during Dr Ross’ 25 years tenure in Indian Medical Service, and for his discovery, Ross won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1902.
Uganda joined the entire world to commemorate this day in an event that was organized by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday 22nd August in Entebbe under the theme; “Prevent that Bite” and the slogan “our collective responsibility”.
The event which started with a matching session around Entebbe town and an exhibition of health-related issues was attended by many dignitaries including the Uganda parliamentary forum on malaria representatives, Entebbe municipal leaders led by the deputy mayor Charles Kabwama, medics, malaria civil society organizations and networks, red cross, schools among others.
Besides sensitizing the public about mosquito-borne diseases and their preventive measures, the day also highlighted the efforts of healthcare officials, NGOs, and others in fighting diseases caused by mosquitoes.
During the event, Professor Pontiano Kaleebu the Director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) said that there are more than 3500 species of mosquitoes in the world and of which Uganda have more than 200 different species with some of them being among the most important insect pests and disease vectors affecting the health of people and animals.
He also highlighted that the biting female mosquitoes not only irritate people and animals, but they can also transmit many disease-causing organisms.
“Mosquitoes have been present on the earth for more than a hundred million years and have been responsible for spreading deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, Yellow fever, West Nile virus, Encephalitis, Lymphatic filariasis, chikungunya which causes thousands of deaths,” he added.
He also remarked that UVRI has been researching mosquitoes and the diseases they spread since its inception and mosquito studies were initiated in the Zika forest along the Kampala-Entebbe Road, way back in the 1930s at the beginning of UVRI, then called the Yellow Fever Institute, in 1936.
“Interesting studies then identified quite several mosquito species and viruses from the forest that included viruses like Zika Virus which was identified in 1947 from a sentinel bait Rhesus monkey and mosquitoes in the forest,” he noted.
Prof. Kaleebu also highlighted that UVRI’s Entomology and Arboviralogy departments continue to conduct studies on various species of mosquitoes such as the Anopheles, Culex and Aedes that are among the most common in spreading diseases which aim at identifying the various kinds of mosquitoes, mosquito populations and disease transmission dynamics.
“This information is important to help us control and manage mosquitoes effectively to reduce the spread of diseases and all our research is supported by the government and various local and International partners such as ABBOTT, BMGF and the Target Malaria Consortium among others. Target Malaria is currently conducting research on mosquitoes and we hope to gather valuable information to help us understand the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria, a disease that causes an estimated 13 million cases and over 19,000 deaths,” he remarked.
Kaleebu concluded by appreciating the government for the funding to the UVRI and for the support of all kinds they get from the Ministry of Health and Uganda National Health Research Organization as well as a call for more collaborations among partners to find solutions to dealing with mosquitoes and the diseases they spread such as malaria to ensure better health for all.
The Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng was represented by Dr Daniel Kyabayinze the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, and in her speech, she remarked that after world malaria day that is dedicated to the prevention and elimination of malaria disease which is observed every year on April 25th, world mosquito day is another observance celebrated on 20th August every year and commemorates Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery about mosquitoes transmitting malaria between human.
Dr Aceng also appreciated the members of parliament that has taken the elimination of malaria from their constituencies as their responsibility, the district local governments who lead the response at the grassroots levels, other government sectors, civil society organizations as well as the multi-sector including the private sector, manufacturers, and all stakeholders who have joined hands in this protracted fight against malaria.
She also made an assurance that the Ministry of Health remains committed to leading this country to a malaria-free status by 2030 and therefore called upon all Ugandans to take up their positions and responsibilities in the malaria-free Uganda struggle.
About WMD
World Mosquito Day (WMD) is observed every year on 20 August. The day is recognized to create awareness among people about mosquito-borne diseases, and their effect on human health. Diseases like Malaria, Chikungunya, and Dengue caused by mosquitos can be life-threatening, if not provided with proper medical attention.
Due to climatic changes, globalization, and urbanization, the rate at which mosquito-borne diseases are spreading across regions is quite alarming. According to worldmosquitoprogram.org, “Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than one million people and infect up to 700 million each year – almost one in ten people. Already in 2023, there have been more than three million dengue cases and over 1,500 dengue-related deaths globally.”
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