Mosquito Bites

In India, mosquito bites are far more than a nuisance — mosquitoes are the single most important cause of insect-borne disease. Dengue, malaria, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and filariasis all spread through mosquito bites. Prevention matters more than treating the bite itself.

Diseases spread by mosquitoes in India

• Dengue — day-biting Aedes mosquito (breeds in clean stored water). Monsoon and post-monsoon peaks. High fever + severe body ache + rash. See Dengue.
• Malaria — evening/night-biting Anopheles. Fever with chills and sweats.
• Chikungunya — day-biting Aedes. Fever + severe joint pain that can last months. See Chikungunya.
• Japanese encephalitis (JE) — Culex mosquito, especially in rural rice-farming + pig-rearing areas. Vaccine available under UIP in endemic districts.
• Lymphatic filariasis — night-biting Culex. Chronic leg/scrotal swelling. Mass drug administration ongoing in endemic blocks.
• Zika — occasional outbreaks; risk is to the baby in pregnancy.

Prevention — the single biggest lever

• Mosquito-repellent on exposed skin — products with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Apply after sunscreen. Reapply per label.
• Long sleeves and trousers, especially at dawn/dusk (malaria) and daytime (dengue/chikungunya).
• Window screens, insecticide-treated bed nets (LLIN).
• Plug-in/vaporiser repellents, mosquito coils indoors (well-ventilated rooms).
• Eliminate breeding sites weekly — empty water from coolers, flowerpot saucers, buckets, tyres, construction sites, terrace tanks, fridge trays. Aedes breeds in a spoonful of clean water.
• Cover overhead and underground water tanks.
• Chemoprophylaxis for malaria if travelling to high-endemic areas (doctor-guided).

Treating the bite itself

• Cool compress, calamine lotion, oral antihistamine if very itchy.
• Don't scratch — secondary bacterial infection (impetigo) is common in children.
• Rare severe allergic reaction — see a doctor.

See a doctor urgently

• High fever within 3–14 days of bites — test for dengue and malaria.
• Severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, seizures after bites in an endemic area — Japanese encephalitis suspicion.
• Bleeding gums/nose, severe abdominal pain, breathlessness with dengue — hospital urgently.
• Spreading redness, pus around bite — bacterial cellulitis.