| Written by Faith Mwende |
Every year on August 20, the world pauses to commemorate World Mosquito Day, a day that honors the groundbreaking discovery of British doctor Sir Ronald Ross in 1897.
Ross proved that the female Anopheles mosquito is responsible for transmitting malaria between humans an achievement that reshaped medical science and paved the way for modern malaria control.
Before Ross’s discovery, malaria devastated populations across the globe. In the 19th century, nearly half of the world’s population lived under the constant threat of the disease, with infection carrying a staggering 10% mortality rate. While quinine provided some relief as a treatment, there were no effective tools to stop transmission until Ross’s research revealed the mosquito’s deadly role as a vector.
Ross made the historic breakthrough in a modest laboratory in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India, where he dissected Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes and identified malaria parasites developing inside them. This finding confirmed what many scientists had theorized including Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran and Patrick Manson but could not yet prove.
Today, that laboratory is preserved as the Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Parasitology, housing a small museum dedicated to his pioneering work. Ross himself remembered the exact moment, describing August 20 as “Mosquito Day” in his writings, noting the painstaking effort of dissecting mosquitoes under intense conditions that eventually led to the discovery.
Since then, World Mosquito Day has grown into a day of global awareness and action. Institutions such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine mark the day with exhibitions, lectures, and community engagement. The tradition dates back to 1931, when the Ross Institute hosted a tea party in his honor, a gesture that evolved into an annual celebration of scientific progress against malaria.
While malaria cases have significantly declined over the last century thanks to mosquito control, bed nets, and modern medicine, the disease still poses a major threat. According to the World Health Organization, hundreds of millions are infected each year, with the majority of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa especially among children under five.
World Mosquito Day serves as both a tribute to scientific achievement and a call to action. It highlights the importance of continued research, global cooperation, and investment in eradicating malaria once and for all.
As the world reflects on this milestone, the message is clear: the fight against malaria is not over, but thanks to Ross’s discovery, humanity is better equipped than ever to win it.
