Vector-borne diseases of man and their socio-economic impact

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, lymphatic filariases, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, onchocerciasis, trypanosomiasis, dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis, globally account for suffering amongst more than one billion people, mostly from the developing world. Geographical distribution and prevalence of these diseases have been discussed. In addition to the mortality caused by these diseases, millions of people lead a hopeless life and are socially unable to achieve self-realization and be economically productive, as a result of these diseases. Examples of such economic impact and the costs of these diseases and methods of control have been given. Economic benefits of control of some of these diseases have been discussed. These concepts are of utility when resource allocation for control of these diseases is under consideration.

Understanding key vectors and vector-borne diseases associated with freshwater ecosystem across Africa: Implications for public health

“…These impacts range from obvious health implications to equally pronounced social and economic consequences (Boutayeb, 2010). The burden of vector-borne diseases is mostly pronounced in the tropics, especially in Africa (Pant, 1987), where significant losses have been recorded in terms of monetary estimates and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)a metric for expressing the number of years lost due to illness, health impairment or untimely death.…”

Insecticide susceptibility of natural populations of Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae (sensu stricto) from Okyereko irrigation site, Ghana, West Africa

“…Malaria is considered to be one of the major contributors to poverty and the estimated annual cost to economies of the African continent ranges from under 0.5 % to almost 9 % of GDP [ 19 ]. Population growth in many malaria endemic countries has led to policies advocating local food production to enable self-sufficiency in order to reduce the importation of food and to positively impact the gross national product in these countries [ 20 – 22 ]. The Government of Ghana recently recommended increasing local rice production through the development and/or reorganization of irrigation projects to reduce the importation of rice [ 23 ].…”

Analyzing Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Diversity in Pakistan by DNA Barcoding

“…Mosquitoes are important vectors of animal diseases [1] . Although Pakistan is one of the hotspots for mosquito-vectored diseases [2] , [3] , mosquito biodiversity in the country is under-explored [4] .…”