Question

Name two diseases whose spread can be controlled by the eradication of Aedes mosquitoes.

Answer 1

Hint: The greatest number of deaths in the world is caused by mosquitoes. All three types - Culex, Aedes and Anopheles contribute to the different diseases mainly by being the vector or the carrier of the viruses that cause the disease.

Complete answer:
The Aedes mosquito causes the highest number of diseases among the three types of mosquitoes. Two of the diseases that are caused by Aedes as a vector are dengue and chikungunya. It is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to humans. The eradication of the Aedes mosquito can help control the spread of these two diseases.

Dengue:
It is a disease caused by the dengue virus and is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The disease is so severe that it causes life threatening symptoms like very low blood pressure, low platelet count and around half a lakh people die from the disease and nearly four hundred million are infected by the virus every year. Treatment is available but cases have been increasing alarmingly over the years.

Chikungunya:
It is caused by the Chikungunya virus and again carried by the Aedes mosquito. For every thousand infections there is one death seen due to infection. In a year approximately fifty thousand cases are recorded in India (2019). The symptoms are not very severe but in some cases the symptoms like joint pain may last for months or years. There is no exact vaccine for the treatment of the disease.

Note: For chikungunya, there is no specific vaccine and the body itself fights the infection. But in severe cases the vaccines for specific symptoms may be given. For example, for people with severe arthritis the medication for arthritis is given even though the condition is due to the virus.
For both the infections mentioned above, along with the development of vaccines there have been measures taken to contain the spread of the mosquitoes as this is the first main concern. Prevention of the disease is always better than finding a cure for the disease.