Anthony Fauci recently revealed he was hospitalized after catching the dreaded mosquito-borne West Nile virus, telling Stat News, “I really felt like I had been hit by a truck.”
Yes, mosquitoes suck. And mosquito-borne diseases – malaria, yellow fever – have long sucked humanity. Cases of eastern equine encephalitis, another mosquito-borne disease, have recently appeared in Massachusetts. Some outdoor events in high-risk areas, such as the Oktoberfest celebration in Vermont, are canceled.
Mosquito-borne diseases like these are expanding their range in part because of climate change, but they are still relatively rare in the United States.
This was not always the case. Yellow fever, for example, caused several major epidemics in the United States, changing the course of history. But advances in science led to better understanding of its transmission and the development of a vaccine, as well as a public health response to eradicate mosquitoes in urban areas. The United States hasn’t had a major outbreak of yellow fever since New Orleans in 1905. And that history also points to what Americans need to do now, as they face other mosquito-borne diseases: We need a widespread public health response. to eradicate mosquitoes in more densely populated areas and to put a renewed focus on developing new vaccines.
Also, the best individual defense is to use nets and screens to keep mosquitoes out indoors, to properly cover up as much as possible when you’re outdoors – tuck those hiking pants into socks! — and to use a proper insect repellent. In many studies, DEET, Picaridin, and PMD top lists of effectiveness.
I personally stick to DEET; it has been around the longest and is therefore the most studied. Yes, DEET has an unpleasant smell at first, but I’d rather smell that than contract a mosquito- or tick-borne disease, like Lyme disease. (Picaridine also seems to be a good alternative and lacks the smell.)
In time, I really hope we will develop new vaccines. It is easy to forget what was required for past successes against terrible diseases, but the price of public health is constant vigilance.
Zeynep Tufekci is a New York Times columnist.