The Most Dangerous Animal On Earth – Mosquitos
The most dangerous animal on earth to humans, cause of incalculable suffering and disease, unseen until too late, nearly impossible to kill, decimating whole populations of continents — the mosquito! This TED talk describes the problem for Africa and the methods being used to eventually solve the problem “down to zero.”
The 3500 species of mosquitos in the world are responsible for multiple debilitating diseases to human kind. Whole continents like Africa suffer not only in their health but in their economies as well due to this tiny animal. Seventy of these species have the capacity to transmit malaria but only four of them carry out almost 90% of Africa’s problems.
Fredros Okumu, director of science at the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), tells us, in this TED talk, of the work going on in order to make a world with “Zero problem” with Malaria; and how whole villages are banding together to eradicate the disease.
He calls himself a “mosquito catcher for a living” something he and his partners do by using themselves as bait and describes what he has learned about the habits of the things. Unconventional methods to “tame” the most dangerous animal on earth.
Fredros Okumu: “Mosquito Catcher”
Fredros Okumu is director of science at the Ifakara Health Institute (IHI). Since 2008, Okumu has been studying human-mosquito interactions and developing new techniques to complement existing malaria interventions and accelerate efforts towards elimination. His other interests include quantitative ecology of residual malaria vectors, mathematical simulations to predict effectiveness of interventions, improved housing for marginalized communities and prevention of child malnutrition.