It may sound incredible, but a World Mosquito Day does exist. When I first heard of it, I thought it had to be some sick joke. Why would someone celebrate mosquitoes?

At Another World Adventures we love animals and we support ethical animal tourism, but getting to celebrate mosquitoes is a completely different story. Isn’t it?

Intrigued, I decided to make some research and read further about this bizarre anniversary. And I found out that the world has not turned as crazy as I believed. The World Mosquito Day is indeed an occasion to celebrate the scientific discovery that mosquitoes transmit malaria between people.

As you can imagine, this discovery was fundamental to fight the disease and hence the World Mosquito Day has well deserved its place on the calendar. The person who made the discovery is Sir Ronald Ross, a British doctor who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine thanks to his discovery.

Sir Ronald Ross

Ronald Ross was born in India in 1857 and worked in the Indian Medical Service. It was during his time there that he made the discovery. Later he became Professor of Tropical Medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. In 1926 he founded the Ross Institute and Hospital for Tropical Diseases, and he worked there as Director in Chief until his death in 1932.

Although more recognized for his contribute to medicine and prevention from malaria, Sir Ronald Ross had also other interests. He was a poet, playwrite, writer, and painter.

How to avoid mosquito bites

Of course it’s not possible to avoid 100% of mosquito bites, but there are ways to reduce those chances (check out our mobile hiking mosquito nets in Greenland, where there’s no malaria but the bites are still itchy!). If you are planning to travel in areas where you might get malaria, you should make sure to follow these simple points:

• Close the windows when you sleep and use air conditioning.
• If this is not possible, make sure to have a good mosquito net.
• Apply insect repellent on your skin and where you sleep.
• Remember to re-apply it frequently.
• Wear light clothes, long trousers and shirts with long sleeves instead of shorts and T-shirts. This is particularly important during evenings and nights.

Check the NHS website for more information about prevention.

Remember, prevention and safety are the best ways to make sure you’ll live an amazing experience in your adventure travel!