Mosquitoes linked to more than 700,000 deaths a year, CDC says

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the mosquito as "the world's deadliest animal" despite its small size, citing its role in spreading fatal diseases, the New York Post reported. Mosquitoes are blamed for more than 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, according to the report. Malaria, the deadliest of the mosquito-borne illnesses, kills more than 600,000 people annually, with children in sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the majority of those deaths. The insects also transmit dengue fever, West Nile virus, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. Dengue alone infects roughly 400 million people a year and causes about 21,000 deaths. More than 3,700 mosquito species exist worldwide, but only a small fraction are known to carry serious diseases, the report said.