📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
🦟 Mosquitoes are blood-sucking arthropods belonging to the insect class and Culicidae family.
👉 They are one of the most dangerous vectors, responsible for transmitting many fatal diseases.
| 🦟 Type | ⚠️ Disease Caused | 🧪 Identification Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Anopheles | Malaria | Stands at an angle to surface |
| Culex | Filariasis, viral encephalitis | Sits parallel to surface |
| Aedes | Dengue, Chikungunya, Zika, Yellow fever | Zebra-like stripes on legs |
| 💉 Disease | 🧫 Causative Agent | 🦟 Vector Type |
|---|---|---|
| Malaria | Plasmodium spp. | Anopheles |
| Dengue | Dengue virus | Aedes |
| Chikungunya | Chikungunya virus | Aedes |
| Zika Virus | Zika virus | Aedes |
| Yellow Fever | Flavivirus | Aedes |
| Filariasis | Wuchereria bancrofti | Culex |
✔️ Remove stagnant water (pots, tires, drains)
✔️ Clean water storage weekly
✔️ Improve drainage and waste disposal
✔️ Promote fish farming (larvivorous fish)
✔️ Larvicides – Temephos
✔️ Adulticides – Pyrethrum spray, fogging
✔️ Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs)
✔️ Indoor residual spraying (IRS)
✔️ Use of Gambusia fish to eat larvae
✔️ Bacterial larvicides – Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti)
✔️ Wear full-sleeved clothing
✔️ Use mosquito repellents (cream, coil)
✔️ Use bed nets (especially at night)
✔️ Fit mesh on windows & doors
👩⚕️ Health education on prevention & control
👩⚕️ Conduct community awareness drives
👩⚕️ Identify & report mosquito breeding sites
👩⚕️ Demonstrate use of nets and repellents
👩⚕️ Support malaria surveillance & treatment programs
🟨 Anopheles spreads malaria
🟨 Aedes is active during daytime and causes dengue
🟨 Culex causes filariasis
🟨 Only female mosquitoes bite
🟨 Eggs are laid in clean or dirty water (depends on species)
Q1. Which mosquito is responsible for malaria transmission?
🅰️ Aedes
✅ 🅱️ Anopheles
🅲️ Culex
🅳️ Tabanus
Q2. Which mosquito has zebra-like stripes on legs?
🅰️ Culex
🅱️ Anopheles
✅ 🅲️ Aedes
🅳️ Sandfly
Q3. What is the biting time of Aedes mosquito?
🅰️ Night
🅱️ Midnight
✅ 🅲️ Daytime
🅳️ Early morning only
Q4. What fish is used to eat mosquito larvae?
🅰️ Goldfish
✅ 🅱️ Gambusia
🅲️ Carp
🅳️ Tuna
Q5. Which mosquito lays eggs in clean water?
🅰️ Culex
✅ 🅱️ Aedes
🅲️ Sandfly
🅳️ Tsetse
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
The housefly (Musca domestica) is a common domestic insect and mechanical vector that spreads many infectious diseases through food contamination.
| 🪰 Mode | 🦠 Diseases |
|---|---|
| Contaminated hands, legs, wings | Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery |
| Tuberculosis, Eye infections (Trachoma) | |
| Helminthic infections, Food poisoning |
👉 Flies carry pathogens from garbage/excreta to human food
✅ Proper garbage disposal
✅ Clean toilets, drains, and kitchens
✅ Use of covered dustbins
✅ Avoid open defecation
✅ Fly swatters, sticky traps
✅ Fly screens on windows/doors
✅ Use of self-closing doors and air curtains
✅ Insecticides – Pyrethrum spray, DDT, Malathion
✅ Fly baits – Sugar + poison mixture
✅ Larvicides – Added to breeding sites (garbage dumps)
✅ Introduce predators like beetles and wasps
✅ Use biopesticides (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis)
✅ Keep food covered
✅ Reheat leftover food
✅ Wash hands before eating
✅ Educate family on food hygiene
👩⚕️ Identify fly breeding areas
👩⚕️ Educate community on waste disposal
👩⚕️ Demonstrate fly-proofing techniques
👩⚕️ Promote hand hygiene & food safety
👩⚕️ Coordinate with PHC for insecticide spraying
🟨 Housefly is a mechanical vector
🟨 Spreads typhoid, cholera, dysentery
🟨 Lays eggs in garbage and feces
🟨 Controlled by sanitation + insecticides
🟨 Life cycle includes larva (maggot) stage
Q1. Housefly transmits diseases through:
🅰️ Biting
✅ 🅱️ Mechanical contamination
🅲️ Stinging
🅳️ Laying eggs in humans
Q2. Which disease is commonly spread by houseflies?
🅰️ Malaria
✅ 🅱️ Typhoid
🅲️ Dengue
🅳️ Chickenpox
Q3. What is the larval stage of a housefly called?
🅰️ Caterpillar
✅ 🅱️ Maggot
🅲️ Nymph
🅳️ Worm
Q4. One effective chemical for housefly control is:
🅰️ Ciprofloxacin
🅱️ Paracetamol
✅ 🅲️ Pyrethrum
🅳️ Albendazole
Q5. What is the best preventive method against housefly-borne diseases?
🅰️ Isolation
🅱️ Hospitalization
✅ 🅲️ Food hygiene and sanitation
🅳️ Blood transfusion
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
Sandfly is a small, hairy, silent-flying insect of the Phlebotomus genus (belongs to class Insecta, order Diptera) and is a biological vector.
👉 It transmits leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic disease.
| 💉 Disease | 🦠 Causative Agent | 🦟 Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Kala-Azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis) | Leishmania donovani | Sandfly (Phlebotomus argentipes) |
| Cutaneous Leishmaniasis | Leishmania tropica | Sandfly |
| Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis | Leishmania braziliensis | Sandfly |
| Sandfly Fever | Sandfly virus | Sandfly |
✅ Fill cracks and crevices in walls
✅ Whitewashing walls (flies dislike bright surfaces)
✅ Clean and repair mud walls, animal shelters
✅ Maintain dry, clean surroundings
✅ Indoor residual spraying (IRS) with:
✅ Use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs)
✅ Sleep under mosquito/sandfly nets
✅ Wear full-sleeved clothing at night
✅ Apply repellents on exposed skin
✅ Avoid sleeping in cow sheds or mud huts
✅ Use of natural predators like spiders, bats, frogs
👩⚕️ Educate community on Kala-Azar prevention
👩⚕️ Promote IRS and net usage
👩⚕️ Identify & report sandfly breeding areas
👩⚕️ Support NVBDCP (National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme)
👩⚕️ Encourage early diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis
🟨 Sandfly causes Kala-Azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis)
🟨 Leishmania donovani is the parasite
🟨 IRS with DDT is a key control measure
🟨 Sandfly rests in dark, damp, cracked walls
🟨 Does not buzz and flies in short hops
Q1. What disease is transmitted by the sandfly?
🅰️ Malaria
✅ 🅱️ Kala-Azar
🅲️ Dengue
🅳️ Filariasis
Q2. Which insecticide is commonly used to control sandfly?
🅰️ Albendazole
✅ 🅱️ DDT
🅲️ Ciprofloxacin
🅳️ Paracetamol
Q3. Which structure do sandflies use for breeding?
🅰️ Water puddles
✅ 🅱️ Cracks and crevices
🅲️ Flower pots
🅳️ Tree holes
Q4. What is the causative organism of visceral leishmaniasis?
🅰️ Plasmodium vivax
✅ 🅱️ Leishmania donovani
🅲️ Wuchereria bancrofti
🅳️ Trypanosoma gambiense
Q5. What is a simple physical measure to reduce sandfly breeding indoors?
🅰️ Darken the room
🅱️ Use mosquito coils
✅ 🅲️ Whitewash the walls
🅳️ Use candles
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
🪳 Lice are small, wingless, blood-sucking ectoparasites that live on the human body, scalp, or clothing and cause irritation and spread of disease.
👉 They belong to order Anoplura, class Insecta, and are obligate human parasites.
| 👤 Type | 🏠 Habitat | ⚠️ Disease Spread |
|---|---|---|
| Head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) | Scalp, hair shafts | Pediculosis (itching, secondary infection) |
| Body louse (Pediculus humanus corporis) | Seams of clothing | Typhus, relapsing fever, trench fever |
| Pubic louse (Phthirus pubis) | Pubic region, armpits, eyelashes | Irritation, STDs co-infection risk |
Egg (nit) → Nymph → Adult
✅ Regular bathing and hair washing
✅ Comb hair daily using fine-tooth comb
✅ Clean nails to prevent scratching infection
✅ Wash clothes in hot water (60°C+)
✅ Iron or sun-dry clothes and bedding
✅ Avoid sharing combs, towels, caps
✅ Use medicated shampoos or lotions like:
✅ Apply and repeat after 7–10 days to kill nymphs
✅ Conduct school screening for head lice
✅ Mass delousing in epidemic-prone areas
✅ Educate community on hygiene practices
👩⚕️ Screen for lice during school/health camps
👩⚕️ Teach parents/kids about combing and hygiene
👩⚕️ Demonstrate proper use of anti-lice shampoo/lotion
👩⚕️ Report lice infestations to health authorities
👩⚕️ Distribute IEC materials on prevention
🟨 Louse is an obligate ectoparasite
🟨 Head lice cause pediculosis, body lice transmit typhus
🟨 Eggs are called nits – stuck to hair shafts
🟨 Treatment = Permethrin 1%, repeat in 7 days
🟨 Heat kills lice – wash and iron clothes properly
Q1. What is the scientific name of the head louse?
🅰️ Phthirus pubis
✅ 🅱️ Pediculus humanus capitis
🅲️ Cimex lectularius
🅳️ Anopheles stephensi
Q2. Which disease is spread by the body louse?
🅰️ Malaria
🅱️ Dengue
✅ 🅲️ Epidemic typhus
🅳️ Filariasis
Q3. What is the common symptom of lice infestation?
🅰️ Rash
✅ 🅱️ Intense itching
🅲️ Vomiting
🅳️ Breathing difficulty
Q4. What temperature kills lice in clothes?
🅰️ 30°C
🅱️ 40°C
✅ 🅲️ 60°C or above
🅳️ 25°C
Q5. Which is the best treatment for head lice?
🅰️ Aspirin
🅱️ Albendazole
✅ 🅲️ Permethrin 1% shampoo
🅳️ Ciprofloxacin
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
🪳 Rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) are blood-sucking ectoparasites that live on rodents (especially rats) and are important disease vectors, especially in plague transmission.
👉 They are biological vectors, meaning the pathogen multiplies inside them.
| 🦠 Disease | 🐀 Causative Agent | 🪳 Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Bubonic Plague | Yersinia pestis | Rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis) |
| Murine Typhus | Rickettsia typhi | Rat flea |
| Tularemia | Francisella tularensis (rare) | Rat flea |
🧬 Fleas ingest the bacteria while feeding on infected rats and transmit it when biting humans.
✅ Kill rats using rodenticides (zinc phosphide, warfarin)
✅ Use rat traps, glue pads
✅ Maintain rodent-proof houses (metal bins, tight food storage)
✅ Avoid open garbage dumps
✅ Proper waste disposal
✅ Seal cracks/holes in buildings
✅ Eliminate rat burrows near homes
✅ Maintain clean surroundings
✅ Spray insecticides (e.g., malathion, deltamethrin) in:
✅ Dusting with BHC or DDT in plague-prone areas
✅ Wear protective clothing and gloves in infested areas
✅ Use repellents if exposed to flea zones
✅ Avoid handling dead rodents with bare hands
✅ Monitor pets for fleas
🚫 Do NOT kill rats immediately – causes fleas to jump to humans
✅ First, spray insecticide to kill fleas, then control rats
✅ Isolate and treat cases with antibiotics (e.g., streptomycin)
👩⚕️ Educate community on plague prevention & hygiene
👩⚕️ Assist in rat surveillance and flea spraying
👩⚕️ Report suspected plague cases or rat die-offs
👩⚕️ Support rodent control drives in villages/slums
👩⚕️ Demonstrate safe food storage practices
🟨 Xenopsylla cheopis transmits plague
🟨 Plague is caused by Yersinia pestis
🟨 Rodent control is the best way to control fleas
🟨 Flea bites cause itchy red bumps
🟨 Always kill fleas before killing rats during plague outbreaks
Q1. Which insect transmits bubonic plague?
🅰️ Mosquito
🅱️ Louse
✅ 🅲️ Rat flea
🅳️ Sandfly
Q2. Scientific name of rat flea is:
🅰️ Phlebotomus argentipes
✅ 🅱️ Xenopsylla cheopis
🅲️ Pediculus capitis
🅳️ Anopheles stephensi
Q3. What is the first step during a plague outbreak?
🅰️ Kill rats immediately
🅱️ Give paracetamol
✅ 🅲️ Spray insecticide to kill fleas
🅳️ Destroy mosquito breeding sites
Q4. What is the main host of rat fleas?
🅰️ Dog
✅ 🅱️ Rat
🅲️ Cow
🅳️ Cat
Q5. What disease is caused by Rickettsia typhi via rat fleas?
🅰️ Dengue
🅱️ Kala-Azar
✅ 🅲️ Murine Typhus
🅳️ Leptospirosis
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
Rodents (e.g., rats, mice) are gnawing mammals belonging to the order Rodentia. They are significant public health pests as they damage food, property, and spread serious zoonotic diseases.
| 🧫 Disease | 🐀 Mode of Transmission |
|---|---|
| Plague (Yersinia pestis) | Rat flea bite |
| Leptospirosis | Urine-contaminated water |
| Rat-bite fever | Bite or scratch of infected rodent |
| Salmonellosis | Contaminated food |
| Hantavirus | Inhalation of rodent droppings |
✅ Eliminate food, water, and shelter sources
✅ Maintain clean surroundings
✅ Store grains in rodent-proof containers
✅ Dispose of garbage properly
✅ Fill in burrows, holes, and cracks
✅ Rat traps, glue boards
✅ Mesh sealing of entry points
✅ Use rat guards on pipes and ropes
✅ Screen doors and windows
✅ Rodenticides (poison baits):
✅ Used in strategic points (away from food and children)
✅ Encourage natural predators:
✅ Rodent control campaigns in high-risk areas
✅ Surveillance during epidemics/plague outbreaks
✅ Community awareness and participation
👩⚕️ Educate on rodent-borne diseases
👩⚕️ Teach safe food storage and waste management
👩⚕️ Support rodent control programs
👩⚕️ Identify signs of infestation and report
👩⚕️ Collaborate with PHC and health authorities
🟨 Rodents spread plague, leptospirosis, hantavirus
🟨 Control methods = sanitation + trapping + poisons
🟨 Zinc phosphide is a commonly used rodenticide
🟨 Proper waste disposal reduces rodent habitats
🟨 Nurse plays a key role in education and surveillance
Q1. Which of the following is a rodent-borne disease?
🅰️ Malaria
✅ 🅱️ Leptospirosis
🅲️ Dengue
🅳️ Chikungunya
Q2. What is the scientific name of the house rat?
🅰️ Mus musculus
✅ 🅱️ Rattus rattus
🅲️ Rattus norvegicus
🅳️ Bandicota indica
Q3. Which chemical is used as a rodenticide?
🅰️ Paracetamol
🅱️ Permethrin
✅ 🅲️ Zinc phosphide
🅳️ Ciprofloxacin
Q4. What is the main mechanical method of rodent control?
🅰️ Insecticide spray
✅ 🅱️ Traps and guards
🅲️ Vaccination
🅳️ Fumigation
Q5. What is a nurse’s role in rodent control?
🅰️ Distribute poison
🅱️ Kill rats manually
✅ 🅲️ Educate community on prevention
🅳️ Feed stray cats
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
Rodents (e.g., rats, mice) are gnawing mammals belonging to the order Rodentia. They are significant public health pests as they damage food, property, and spread serious zoonotic diseases.
| 🧫 Disease | 🐀 Mode of Transmission |
|---|---|
| Plague (Yersinia pestis) | Rat flea bite |
| Leptospirosis | Urine-contaminated water |
| Rat-bite fever | Bite or scratch of infected rodent |
| Salmonellosis | Contaminated food |
| Hantavirus | Inhalation of rodent droppings |
✅ Eliminate food, water, and shelter sources
✅ Maintain clean surroundings
✅ Store grains in rodent-proof containers
✅ Dispose of garbage properly
✅ Fill in burrows, holes, and cracks
✅ Rat traps, glue boards
✅ Mesh sealing of entry points
✅ Use rat guards on pipes and ropes
✅ Screen doors and windows
✅ Rodenticides (poison baits):
✅ Used in strategic points (away from food and children)
✅ Encourage natural predators:
✅ Rodent control campaigns in high-risk areas
✅ Surveillance during epidemics/plague outbreaks
✅ Community awareness and participation
👩⚕️ Educate on rodent-borne diseases
👩⚕️ Teach safe food storage and waste management
👩⚕️ Support rodent control programs
👩⚕️ Identify signs of infestation and report
👩⚕️ Collaborate with PHC and health authorities
🟨 Rodents spread plague, leptospirosis, hantavirus
🟨 Control methods = sanitation + trapping + poisons
🟨 Zinc phosphide is a commonly used rodenticide
🟨 Proper waste disposal reduces rodent habitats
🟨 Nurse plays a key role in education and surveillance
Q1. Which of the following is a rodent-borne disease?
🅰️ Malaria
✅ 🅱️ Leptospirosis
🅲️ Dengue
🅳️ Chikungunya
Q2. What is the scientific name of the house rat?
🅰️ Mus musculus
✅ 🅱️ Rattus rattus
🅲️ Rattus norvegicus
🅳️ Bandicota indica
Q3. Which chemical is used as a rodenticide?
🅰️ Paracetamol
🅱️ Permethrin
✅ 🅲️ Zinc phosphide
🅳️ Ciprofloxacin
Q4. What is the main mechanical method of rodent control?
🅰️ Insecticide spray
✅ 🅱️ Traps and guards
🅲️ Vaccination
🅳️ Fumigation
Q5. What is a nurse’s role in rodent control?
🅰️ Distribute poison
🅱️ Kill rats manually
✅ 🅲️ Educate community on prevention
🅳️ Feed stray cats
📘 Important for GNM/BSc Nursing, NHM, AIIMS, NORCET, GPSC & Community Health Nursing Exams
Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites that belong to the class Arachnida (like spiders and mites). They are important vectors of many zoonotic diseases and pose major health hazards to both humans and animals.
| 🕷️ Type | 🔍 Description |
|---|---|
| Hard ticks (Ixodidae) | Have a hard shield (scutum); most common |
| Soft ticks (Argasidae) | Lack a hard shield; more hidden in behavior |
✅ Example: Ixodes, Hyalomma, Dermacentor
| 🦠 Disease | 🧫 Causative Agent | 🕷️ Tick Vector |
|---|---|---|
| Lyme disease | Borrelia burgdorferi | Ixodes tick |
| Tick Typhus (Indian tick typhus) | Rickettsia conorii | Rhipicephalus tick |
| Tick-borne encephalitis | TBE virus | Ixodes |
| Babesiosis | Babesia species | Boophilus tick |
| Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) | KFD virus | Haemaphysalis spinigera (India) |
| Tularemia | Francisella tularensis | Dermacentor ticks |
Egg → Larva (6 legs) → Nymph (8 legs) → Adult (8 legs)
✅ Clear bushes, grass, and animal sheds
✅ Regular cleaning of cattle shelters
✅ Improve sunlight & drainage to reduce moisture
✅ Use tick-proof fencing on farms
✅ Use of acaricides (tick-killing chemicals) on animals and surroundings:
✅ Applied as sprays, dips, dusts, pour-on solutions
✅ Regular inspection and grooming of cattle
✅ Avoid overcrowding in sheds
✅ Isolate infested animals
✅ Wear long-sleeved clothes and boots in tick-prone areas
✅ Use repellents (DEET, permethrin-treated clothing)
✅ Perform full body checks after outdoor exposure
✅ Remove ticks promptly with tweezers (grasp near mouthparts)
👩⚕️ Educate public on tick-borne diseases
👩⚕️ Demonstrate safe tick removal techniques
👩⚕️ Promote animal hygiene and regular acaricide use
👩⚕️ Report suspected KFD or Lyme cases to authorities
👩⚕️ Support vector surveillance programs
🟨 Ticks are 8-legged arachnids
🟨 Transmit KFD, Lyme disease, tick typhus
🟨 Ixodes is the vector for Lyme disease
🟨 Control: Acaricides + environmental sanitation
🟨 Prompt removal of ticks is essential to prevent infection
Q1. Which class do ticks belong to?
🅰️ Insecta
✅ 🅱️ Arachnida
🅲️ Crustacea
🅳️ Annelida
Q2. Which disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi?
🅰️ Plague
🅱️ Typhus
✅ 🅲️ Lyme disease
🅳️ Malaria
Q3. What is the preferred method for tick removal?
🅰️ Pull with hands
🅱️ Burn with matchstick
✅ 🅲️ Use tweezers to remove from mouthpart
🅳️ Crush the tick immediately
Q4. Which chemical is commonly used as an acaricide?
🅰️ Ciprofloxacin
✅ 🅱️ Deltamethrin
🅲️ Paracetamol
🅳️ Ivermectin
Q5. Kyasanur Forest Disease is transmitted by:
🅰️ Rat flea
🅱️ Mosquito
✅ 🅲️ Haemaphysalis tick
🅳️ Housefly