The economic importance of mosquitões cannot be overestimated. Nor can their importance in human health. The Tropics are where much disease is concentrated due to their high levels of biological diversity. This biodiversity is due to the diversity of habitats and ecosystems in the Tropics. Much of Brazil is Tropical. Mato Grosso is one of the hottest states in Brazil. It is one of the richest, being a state whose wealth is built on agribusiness. It also has habitats including Tropical rainforest, cerrado, campo limpo, campo sujo and the Pantanal wetland, a World Biosphere Reserve, RAMSAR Site and National Park.
It is not the biodiversity or the habitats that is the health profession's focus in the context of mosquito-borne diseases, but rather the sanitary management of its urban áreas, I am a British biologist living in Cuiabá and am a Veterinary Surgeon. Having been born and bred in NorthWales and subsequently spent time in Mauritius, Israel, the Seychelles and Malaysia before settling here, I am familiar with tropical living and the precautions necessary to live happily and healthily in the Tropics. The vírus Zika has come to my attention recently because it has affected me directly.
Your body aches at the joints and you come out overnight in a rash. The rash looks like flesh-coloured pinheads. These break out all over your body. Your eyes ache and turn red. There is no medicine. The rash may pass after 48 hours.
It is spread by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. For classification, see below. We have insect-repelling electrical devices plugged in around our home now. Because the insect is active during the day, mosquito nets don't help. Wear long-sleeved, white shirts and trousers, socks and comfortable shoes. Wear strong insect repellent.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Diptera: the two-winged flies
Sub-order Nematocera
Family Culicidae: the mosquitões
Genus Aedes
Species Aedes aegypti.
Municipal health inspectors visit residences in Cuiabá from time to time to make sure there is no standing water on properties. It is in standing water that the mosquito breeds.
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