'Why Mosquitoes Gravitate To Ear, Nasal Region'

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja

Prof Godson Ana

The Dean, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Prof Godson Ana has opened up on why mosquitoes gravitate to the ear and nasal region.

In an interview with News Rider on Friday in Abuja, he noted that mosquitoes are attracted to smell and Carbondioxide oozing from the nasal region.

He said that mosquito is one of the greatest foe of mankind that is responsible for most of the public health scourges especially malaria.

The environmentalist hinted that the changes in weather and global warming affected the cycle of mosquitoes, adding that mosquitoes need air to breath which is why they rest on the surface of the water.

Ana, who is also the President of Environmental Health Scientists Association of Nigeria noted that the fight against mosquito should be multi-dimensional as mosquito invasion does not represent peace.

The don disclosed that the war against mosquitoes is far from being won because there are setbacks despite the modest gains.

He highlighted the setbacks as lack of effective research and documentation, environmental degradation, loss of tourism potentials, ecosystem structure, loss of manhour and increase in number of out-of- school children.

Ana advised Nigeria to embrace the World Health Organisation (WHO) stipulated integrated approach to vector management as an environmentally appropriate method.

This, he said required a combination of methods in vector control by conducting surveys in order to determine the species and position of mosquitoes, and monitoring before commencement of control.

Research revealed that mosquito causes at least 2.7 million deaths every year and about 500 million cases of mosquito-borne diseases occur annually.

With over 3,500 species of mosquitoes, 90 percent of mosquito-borne illnesses occur in Africa, just as the most prominent diseases linked to mosquitoes include malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus.

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