Mosquitoes (6555)

Worldwide, there are over 3,000 species of mosquitoes. The United States has approximately 200 documented species and Pennsylvania has about 60 species. Each year diseases transmitted by mosquitoes (such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and filarial worms) kill or debilitate millions of people, mostly in developing countries located in tropical areas. In Pennsylvania, the risk of contracting a mosquito-borne disease has recently increased with the introduction of West Nile virus (1) (WNV). Fortunately, West Nile virus poses little risk to most Pennsylvanians unless they have compromised immune systems. Other diseases of concern are eastern equine encephalitis and canine heartworm disease (dogs only). Canine heartworm disease is easily prevented, and eastern equine encephalitis rarely occurs (2) far from the Atlantic coastal regions.

For more information, please visit this Penn State Fact Sheet.

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Penn State Entomology Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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