U.S. — The diseases that mosquitoes transmit kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, Scientific American reports.
Female mosquitoes only bite humans when they require blood to feed their eggs. To suck blood, female mosquitoes use six needle-like parts, which scientists refer to as stylets. Two of these are called maxillae[m]; they are equipped with saw-like teeth that are able ot cut through human skin without a person noticing.
Another set of needles, the mandibles[n], hold tissue apart to allow the Labrum[o] to dig through human skin in search for blood. Once it locates a source, it sucks it out.
The hypopharynx[p] injects saliva into blood vessels, delivering chemicals that keep the blood flowing.
Mosquito saliva causes blood vessels dilate, blocks a person's immune response and lubricates the proboscis. This results in a person suffering from itchy welts. During this process, dangerous viruses, such as Zika and West Nile virus, can be transferred into the human body.
Texas, Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Indiana are all experiencing outbreaks of the West Nile virus, with the number of mosquitoes carrying the virus seem to be growing as well.
About 1 in 150 people who are infected with West Nile virus develop severe illness that affects the central nervous system. About 1 out of 10 people who develop this illness die.
