A wise man once said, “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve never been in a tent with a mosquito.” While enlightening, this certainly suggests how devious these little creatures can be.
However, their irritating bites are only part of the problem, as they can carry several deadly diseases. But how much do you know about mosquito-borne diseases? Let’s find out.
1. How do mosquitoes spread disease?
Source: Wikimedia
- A) Contact with a human
- B) Biting a human
- C) Nesting in human hair
- D) All of the above
Answer: Biting a human
Source: Wikimedia
2. What should you do to eliminate mosquitoes outside of your home?
Source: Freepik
- A) Fly swat them all
- B) Remove still bodies of water, including pools and puddles
- C) Reduce the amount of plants
- D) Get rid of old tires
Answer: Remove still bodies of water, including pools and puddles
Source: Freepik
3. Which of the following is not a mosquito-borne illness?
Source: Freepik
- A) Malaria
- B) Lyme disease
- C) West Nile virus
- D) Zika virus
Answer: Lyme disease
Source: Wikimedia
4. What is the best way to protect yourself from mosquito bites?
Source: Freepik
- A) Use a mosquito repellent
- B) Ensure you have screens on your window
- C) Wear long sleeve shirts and long pants
- D) All of the above
Answer: All of the above
Source: Freepik
5. What is the most common mosquito-borne illness?
Source: Freepik
- A) Lymes disease
- B) West Nile virus
- C) Dengue
- D) Malaria
Answer: Malaria
Source: Freepik
6. What causes malaria?
Source: Freepik
- A) A virus
- B) A parasite
- C) A bacterium
- D) A mosquito
Answer: A parasite
Source: Wikimedia
7. The Zika virus is typically spread via mosquitoes. But how else can it spread?
Source: Freepik
- A) From a mother to her child during pregnancy
- B) Sexual contact
- C) Through a blood transfusion
- D) All of the above
Answer: All of the above
Source: Freepik
8. Which of the following statements is true about the Zika virus?
Source: Freepik
- A) Millions have died from the Zika virus
- B) The illness typically only lasts a few days to a week
- C) Mosquitoes can only spread the Zika virus at night
- D) All of the above
Answer: The illness typically only lasts a few days to a week
Source: Freepik
9. What was a common brain condition associated with Zika virus patients in 2015?
Source: Freepik
- A) Epilepsy
- B) Microcephaly
- C) Cerebral palsy
- D) Glioblastoma
Answer: Microcephaly
Source: Freepik
10. Which kind of mosquito spreads a blood disease?
Source: Wikimedia
- A) Anopheles
- B) Culex
- C) Aedes
- D) All of the above
Answer: All of the above
Source: Wikimedia
11. To protect yourself from mosquito-borne diseases, how often should you apply insect repellent?
Source: Freepik
- A) Every 15 minutes
- B) Every hour
- C) Every three hours
- D) Once a day
Answer: Every hour
Source: Freepik
12. What mosquito-borne illnesses typically found in Africa reached the U.S. in 1989?
Source: Wikimedia
- A) Dengue
- B) Malaria
- C) Yellow fever
- D) West Nile virus
Answer: West Nile virus
Source: Wikimedia
13. Which 20th-century event provoked a massive uptick in dengue fever cases?
Source: Wikimedia
- A) The Spanish Flu
- B) The Great Depression
- C) World War II
- D) Beatlemania
Answer: World War II
Source: Wikimedia
14. Which of the following mosquito illnesses cannot be prevented by vaccination?
Source: Freepik
- A) Dengue fever
- B) Malaria
- C) West Nile virus
- D) Yellow fever
Answer: West Nile virus
Source: Freepik
15. In 1959, a disease outbreak occurred due to Aedes mosquitoes. But the disease they carried is actually more common in horses. What is the disease’s name?
Source: Freepik
- A) Anthrax
- B) Horse colic
- C) Eastern equine encephalitis
- D) Brucellosis
Answer: Eastern equine encephalitis
Source: Freepik
