Happy World Health Day 2014

Happy World Health Day to you.

This year's slogan is "Small Bite: Big Threat" - a reminder that vector-borne diseases, although seemingly insignificant, are widespread and deadly.

Here are some sobering statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO):

1. 40% of the world's population is at risk from the dengue virus
2. Annually, there are roughly 1.3 million new cases of leishmaniasis
3. Every year, more than 1 billion people are infected and more than 1 million die from vector-borne diseases

Mosquitoes and other small organisms carry diseases that put half of the world's population at risk of infection. Far too often, just one bite is enough to make you ill or cause death.

But protecting yourself is easy:

1. Wear long sleeves and pants
2. Use insect repellent
3. Use a bed net
4. Prevent mosquitoes from breeding by covering or removing standing water

Check out the following YouTube video created by the World Health Organization.