Why Eradicating Mosquitoes Isn't A Bad Idea

Let's face it, summer's been here for a while now and those mosquitoes aren't going anywhere soon. Don't we ever have fantastic days at the park with friends, you hang out, you play games, you talk about ethics, and on your way home, you find seven swollen red mosquito bites on your legs. As pus and plasma slowly flows out of the bite, we find ourselves resenting the day we were born!

"My life is ruined forever!"

Even though you may not feel the same way, we have to admit, it wouldn't be that bad if mosquitoes suddenly disappeared. Why? I'll tell you.

If you think about it, you're not alone on this earth. While you may be annoyed that a puny mosquito bit you during recess, people in other poorer countries may live in homes infested with mosquitoes, some may even sit around the streets homeless, swatting mosquitoes buzzing around their heads.

The fact is, mosquitoes can easily transmit diseases with a simple bite. They can carry various disease causing viruses or parasites that will be injected into your bloodstream every time they take a drink. Guess how many people become infected by mosquito related infections and diseases such as Malaria and West Nile Virus? Over seven hundred million people around the world. These transmitted diseases sometimes result in death due to inability to pay for basic medication and protection; and by sometimes, I meant over 2 million people worldwide.

Is two million lives worth having mosquitoes around?

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How to Deal With Mosquito Bites

Yesterday I took a short walk at a nearby park, I was having a nice day, and suddenly, ouch! My pinkie knuckle was suddenly pricked by a stinger of a darn mosquito! (I guess mosquito are attracted to pure muscle. Just kidding.) Anyways, how do we deal with these itchy monstrous red bumps?!

"OMOMOMOMOMOM"

• Wash the affected area. We don't want remaining saliva and irritants just standing around near the bitten area, wash it off! (With soap!)
• Put ice on the bitten area. After a mosquito bite, we usually don't feel anything in that spot for a period of time, if you place ice on it before you do, you can decrease swelling and pain. It's usually preferred to wrap a towel around the ice to prevent frostbite when you apply it to affected areas.
• Rub baking soda and water onto the affected area. (Remember, rub. Don't allow your rubbing result in severely strong scratching, you'll increase swelling.) Put enough baking soda and water to form a paste.
• Crush aspirin and water to create a paste as well, rub on affected area.
• Rub the inside gooey part of the banana peel onto the mosquito bite. Repeat as needed.
• Don't scratch the bite. Scratching the bite may result in infection or even scarring.
• Dab toothpaste onto the bite to reduce pain and itchiness.

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