Getting infected with an arbovirus is a bit like winning the lottery. The chances of it happening are very slim, but the consequences can be life-changing. The process of infection works like this: A female mosquito (of a species that bites both birds and mammals) first must bite a bird infected with an arbovirus (male mosquitoes don’t bite). The blood of the infected bird contains arbovirus particles, so the mosquito biting the bird draws in the disease-causing virus with her blood meal.

Mosquitoes spread malaria, encephalitis, and dengue fever in people. They can also transmit parasites such as heartworm to pets. (Source: The American Mosquito Control Association.)

Almost all cases of bird flu infection in humans were caused by direct exposure with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. However, risk of infection in humans is low and person-to-person transmission is exceptionally rare.

The bird flu virus is found in the saliva, nasal secretions, and feces of an infected bird. People need to have close contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with their excretions to get bird flu. There is no evidence of sustained person-to-person transmission of the virus at this time.

Mosquitoes are capable of detecting carbon dioxide, faint scents, and body heat associated with humans. Humans are a substitute for when a mosquito can not find a more suitable host or meal.

Mosquitoes spread diseases when they "bite" their victims. Although it's commonly referred to as a bite, the actual process is a piercing/sucking action. Only the female mosquito bites, piercing her victim's skin with a structure similar to a long, sharp-ended straw. She must suck her victim's blood up through the shaft; but the blood is thick. To make the blood easier to draw, she injects her saliva (which contains blood thinners) into it. This saliva is what causes irritation and itch.

It is believed that most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission so far.

No. Only 121 cases have occurred in the current outbreak despite huge numbers of birds being affected and numerous associated opportunities for human exposures, especially in backyard flocks. It is not understood why some people but not others become infected with similar exposures.

There are some easy steps you can take to prevent mosquitoes from affecting your horses: House horses indoors during peak periods of mosquito activity (dusk and dawn). Avoid turning on lights inside the stable during the evening and overnight. Place incandescent bulbs around the perimeter of the stable to attract mosquitoes away from the horses. Remove all birds, including chickens, that are in or close to the stable. Eliminate areas of standing water on your property.

No. There are approximately 42 different species of mosquitoes in Maine. Some of them have habitats that overlap, and others have separate habitats based on their specific breeding requirements. Some mosquitoes feed on birds, some on mammals, and a few on both birds and mammals. The mosquitoes of most concern are those that feed on both birds and mammals; these are called “bridge” vectors.

No, it is not possible to get HIV from mosquitoes. Blood is food for the mosquito and it goes directly into its stomach. When taking blood from someone mosquitoes do not inject blood from any previous person. The only thing that a mosquito injects is saliva, which acts as a lubricant and enables it to feed more efficiently.

Yes humans can get Heartworm s from mosquitoes, but the Heartworm s don’t usually circulate to the heart, as they do in pets. Instead, the larvae encyst in the lungs or eyes. Fortunately, Heartworm infections in humans are rare, but it’s one more reason to make sure your pet doesn’t harbor them.

Female mosquitoes look for you and your family (including your pets) to bite so they can get blood to lay their eggs. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and don't bite us.

It is not likely that the H5N1 virus could be carried by a mosquito ingesting blood from an infected animal like other diseases, such as West Nile virus, can be. According to the World Health Organization, the incubation period for the H5N1 virus may be longer than that for normal seasonal influenza, which is around two to three days. Current data for H5N1 infection indicate an incubation period ranging from two to eight days, but possibly as long as 17 days.

NO! If mosquitoes could transmit HIV, there would be many more people with HIV and AIDS. Mosquitoes may spread malaria, but not AIDS. They will digest the blood that they took from their victim, not to inject it into another human being.

Ringworm can easily be spread from cats and dogs to people, and young children are at an increased risk of contracting ringworm. For this reason it is important to treat ringworm in pets quickly and effectively. It is also a good idea to limit direct contact between infected pets and other animals or people. Ringworm in humans causes patches of thick, scaly skin that may be itchy and cause hair-loss, as in pets.

Answer: People need to have close contact with infected birds or poultry manure to get avian influenza. The virus is found in bird faeces and respiratory secretions. There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus at this time.

Mosquitoes are small flying insects with an annoying high-pitched buzz, which feed upon plant juices or the blood of birds, humans or other animals in order to lay eggs.

No. Mosquitoes tend to concentrate on certain animal groups such as birds. Humans are rarely first or second choice. Many, but not all, kinds of mosquitoes will feed on humans.

They can do so, but it is only as physical carriers e.g. virus can be spread on contaminated clothing, skin or equipment. Humans do not get infected.

Transmission of EI to humans has not occurred during outbreaks of EI in horses. EI is not like bird flu in this regard.

There is no evidence of H5N1 being readily transmitted from one person to another. Adaptation to, and evidence of, spread between humans would indicate the emergence of a potential human influenza pandemic.

Avian influenza has existed from time immemorial, but the first carefully documented case of "fowl plague" was recorded in Italy in 1878. While economically devastating, these outbreaks had few health consequences. In fact, H5N1 is the first documented case of flu transmitted directly from birds to humans. (Usually strains spreading among humans mutate, or they mix with strains in pigs or chickens.) To date, about 65 people are known to have died from H5N1 influenza.

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It appears that humans walked throughout most of Africa and Asia, and crossed into America through the Bering Strait while it was frozen during a particularly cold winter. Humans built rafts and boats that allowed them to colonise Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The exact timing of this colonisation, and where it all began is still being worked on by anthropologists and archaeologists.