The latest international health scare comes in the form of the Zika virus disease. According to the CDC, the Zika virus disease is:
“[A] disease caused by Zika virus that is spread to people, primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.”
Although bugs carrying the virus primarily infect people in northern North America and parts of northern South America, new cases are popping up every day in the United States.
Like malaria, encephalitis, dengue, and West Nile virus, the Zika disease is transmitted via mosquito bites. And as daylight savings time reminds us, the summer months are near, which means we will be spending more time outdoors, and consequently increase our risk of getting bitten by Zika disease-carrying insects.
Despite taking precautions to limit your risk of being bitten by an infected mosquito, you might be somebody who often feels the burn (no, not that Bern!) of mosquito bites. Science might have an answer as to why:
1. Blood Type
Your blood type determines a lot of things, but might be a contributing factor to how often you get bitten by mosquitos. The vampire bugs are most attracted to O-type blood, but when that isn’t available, they’ll happily sip on B-type blood. A-blooded people don’t need to worry as much, as mosquitos only latch on if they’re desperate.
But that doesn’t mean A-blooded people are free of getting bitten! Even though the mosquitos aren’t scientists, they can “sniff out” your blood type. An estimated 85% of people emit off a chemical that mosquitos can “smell” on your skin.
2. Carbon Dioxide
Mosquitos love the CO2, which we exhale when we breathe. These things cause you exhale more carbon dioxide than the average person:
- Breathing through your mouth
- Pregnancy
- Being overweight
- Drinking beer
3. Lactic Acid
Lactic acid is found in your blood, and is produced inside of your muscles and red blood cells. It occurs naturally in the body, but production increases during strenuous exercise or when you’re infected with certain diseases.
Once it’s produced in the body, our sweat glands secret the acid in the form of sweat. It’s considered a delicacy in the mosquito world, which is why bugs seem to latch on to you when you’re working hard outdoors in the heat. Better yet: the sweatier you are, and the longer you’ve been working, the sweeter the acid tastes to those icky bugs!
Screengrab via: Youtube
