Diseases spread by insects are caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses. Blood feeding insects such as fleas, mosquitoes, midges and sandflies transmit these diseases. Although some insect-borne diseases can be transmitted from person-to-person or through blood, this is not their main mode of transmission. Many insect-borne diseases are major health problems for developing countries. Malaria is estimated to infect over 300 million people, killing one million per year.

Fortunately, many insect-borne diseases are so rare in Ontario that they are not required to be reported. The reportable insect-borne diseases in Ontario are: viral hemorrhagic fevers, Lyme disease, malaria, plague, Q fever, West Nile Virus and yellow fever. In Peel, only two of these diseases averaged more than five cases per year. The first is malaria, acquired in areas of the world where this disease occurs from the bite of an infected mosquito. The second, also spread by mosquitoes, is a new disease to Peel: West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus was acquired locally for the first time in 2002. The extent to which it will affect Peel residents in the future is unknown.

Chapter 5 - Diseases Spread by Insects (PDF 36KB, 3 pages)

Table of Contents:

• Table of Contents (PDF 28KB, 2 pages)
• List of Tables and Figures (PDF 26KB, 6 pages)
• Executive Summary (PDF 27KB, 3 pages)
• Introduction (PDF 8KB, 1 page)
• Chapter 1 - Sexually-Transmitted and Bloodborne Infections
• Chapter 2 - Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
• Chapter 3 - Diseases Spread by Food and Water
• Chapter 4 - Diseases Spread by Close Personal Contact
• Chapter 5 - Diseases Spread by Insects
• Appendices (PDF 51KB, 4 pages)
• Data Sources and Methods (PDF 24KB, 2 pages)
• References (PDF 51KB, 7 pages)
• Acknowledgements (PDF 22KB, 1 page)