As the monsoon season sets in, the Pima County Health Department (PCHD) is ramping up efforts to raise awareness about the tiny, but potentially deadly hazards that come with it: mosquitoes. According to Pima County, Nicholas Ramirez said, "More rain means more stagnant water and that will increase the mosquito population," which could lead to a surge in mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus, Zika, and Malaria.
It's not just the nuisance of itchy bites that residents have to worry about. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Ramirez pointed out that "Mosquitoes kill more people than any other animal on the planet," as per Pima County. Attracted to the very breath we exhale, these insects are more than a mere backyard annoyance. A single mosquito laying up to 300 eggs at a time and its ability to fly one to two miles put the public at heightened risk. In a stark warning, Ramirez told PCHD, "One mosquito. One bite. That's all it takes to change someone's life forever."
Recent Pima County data reveals some troubling trends, with Malaria cases climbing to 16 in 2023—a stark increase from the five-year average of 2.6. While Dengue and West Nile Virus exhibited more steady numbers. Bailey Inman, an epidemiologist trainee at PCHD, shared that the infected individuals contracted Malaria elsewhere. Furthermore, she indicated that West Nile Virus infections tend to fluctuate with the monsoon's dryness, with a notable spike of 103 cases back in 2021 skewing the five-year average. These statistics and more about the diseases can be found on the County’s mosquito webpage.
