Deadliest Animal in the World May Surprise You, Since We Deal With It Every Summer in New England

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.

Scary right?  Well, yes and no.  We all relish in our summer clam bakes and BBQs, beach outings and camping trips, outdoor summer concerts and evening strolls, al fresco dining, and evening glasses of wine on the deck or while boating.  And who always joins us?  Or should I say 'what' always joins us, and annoyingly so?  Those pesky mosquitoes.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls mosquitos the 'World's Deadliest Animal.'  And if you think about it, it makes sense. We just never really think about those annoying insects as such, but rather swat them away, buy buzz zappers and citronella candles to limit their nuisance, use bug spray, and just accept them as part of summer.  However, Mosquito Reviews says the overall worldwide death toll annually is more than 2.5 million people.  There is no other animal on earth that has that kind of deadly power.

According to Pfizer, mosquitos cause more than 700,000 deaths each year just from Malaria. However, there are six different diseases that can come from a single mosquito bite, all potentially deadly: Malaria, West Nile Virus, Dengue, Zika, Yellow Fever, and Chikungunya.  All six diseases have a variety of symptoms from aches, pains, and a fever to the sensation of thinking your bones are breaking, inflammation of the brain to organ issues, restrictions, and death.  To be honest I truly relate those diseases to other parts of the world, and that is true, with 90% of those deaths being in Africa, according to Mosquito Reviews. America sees around 2,000 cases of mosquito-borne illnesses annually, with less than 10 deaths a year.