World Mosquito Day 2026 observed on August 20

Key facts

• World Mosquito Day is observed on August 20 every year.
• The day commemorates Sir Ronald Ross, a British army surgeon working in India, who in 1897 identified malaria parasites inside the gut of a female Anopheles mosquito.
• Sir Ronald Ross received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1902 for his discovery that mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
• Mosquito-borne diseases include malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika and Japanese encephalitis.
• Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• Dengue and chikungunya are mainly transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
• Japanese encephalitis is spread mainly by Culex mosquitoes and can cause severe neurological complications.
• Common early symptoms of mosquito-borne diseases include sudden high fever, chills, headache, body ache, fatigue, nausea and skin rash.
• Children, older adults and pregnant women are more vulnerable to complications from certain mosquito-borne infections.
• Preventive measures include using mosquito repellents, wearing long-sleeved clothing, installing screens, sleeping under mosquito nets and removing stagnant water.