Mosquito-borne diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites kill more than a million people every year and cause debilitating illnesses for seven hundred million more.

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Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite, affects an estimated 198 million people worldwide and is linked to 500,000 deaths, mostly children living in Africa. About 1,500 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States annually most of whom were travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria transmission occurs (mainly sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia).

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Currently, three viral diseases (Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Fever) carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have become epidemics in many regions of the world, with recent cases reported in the U.S. as well.