Disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes and ticks are the subject of a new survey set to be launched by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) to mark World Health Day, which is today.

The national study is part of the World Health Organization’s campaign “Small bite, Big threat,” which aims to highlight the threat posed worldwide by diseases like dengue fever, Lyme disease and malaria.

These diseases are all carried by “vectors” – the scientific name for any agent, including animals, microorganisms or humans – that carry disease and can reinfect another living being.

Although such diseases are relatively rare in Qatar, a report by the United States Air Force has found that cases of sand fly fever, the West Nile virus and the Sindbis virus, among others, are sometimes found here.

The SCH said that the survey of disease-carrying insects in Qatar will run for two years, with the aim of creating a scientific database. That repository would be used in research aimed at stopping the seasonal breeding of these insects – and therefore, the spread of disease.

Alongside the survey, the SCH will also organize activities to raise public awareness about vector-borne diseases, the body said in a statement.

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