Mosquito (2017)

**They're tiny, but pose a huge threat.**

This is a Discovery channel documentary. It is a science, general knowledge, awareness programme, as well as your life. The title has not meant to refer to one event or one topic, but several. The time of it coming out clearly suggests that the humans has just went through one of the biggest health crisis in the recent time known as zika. What was our role in that? How we had tackled it and how we could have tackled it? All the questions and answers this documentary film brought in front of us.

For the centuries, mosquitoes have lived among us, balancing the eco-system, as well as troubling us for time to time. The deadliest animal just got deadlier! That's the puncline for this show. All the history behind mosquitoes was briefed, including their varieties, geographical locations and most importantly their borne diseases. The show takes us to different continents and their struggle against diseases this tiny animal transmits. From Africa to the Americas, from zika to dengue, malaria, chikungunya, we're still fighting them. Despite it is a serious concern, how they are doing it was a simple accomplishment. Their spit does all the harms.

As the science grows, as we get closer to eliminate any sickness, we get multiple choices, but are we choosing the right tool to fight them! Well, that's where the troubles are. As Bill Gates mentioned, we don't have a global leader. To eliminate the one who is troubling us, we're harming hundreds of others associated with them very closely, causing a serious eco-system breakdown. I loved how nicely this video highlighted those issues from different parts of the world. Particularly, as usual the US ignoring the pre-threat and then footing in a wrong direction to tackle them, then realising it only after it became too late.

> ❝Wars are nothing compared to mosquitoes.❞

It interviewed scientists, experts and the people, generally the victims. As much as what these professionals say, the voice of victims is equally required to highlight what's happening from the other side. In African, the kids affected by mainly malaria, how they are preparing to fight back with the assistance of the knowledge people was documented. Then in South America, as well in some southern parts of the US, the measures taken to fight the latest symptomless zika fever was revealed. Especially how humans are helping these mosquitoes to flourish, despite the weather is not in their favour, shockingly discloses.

Something I learnt was, how everything is interconnected, like every human action is the cause for such threat, but pointing out finger on a different direction. We had also failed at the precautionary measure, after knowing threat is a threat, even it is thousands of kilometers away. The climate change too has a role in that. In this documentary, different expert gives out different reasons, but they all true one way or the other. Particularly, zika virus was first discovered 70 years ago, though only now it's taking a toll. For that, none other than we're to blame.

One of the methods scientists used to fight zika was stunning. You should see that in this video. Why we have to fight after getting infected, there's a solution to eliminate in its initial stage. That's where the genetically modified host letting mingles with its counterpart in the wild. For that, remember the brain behind it, Oxitec.

It was only an hour long documentary, but covered lots of topics about mosquitoes. Narrated by Jeremy Renner, its a well made documentary, but I felt it should have been a theatrical product. Or, I would have loved it if it was a mini series. But I think they had let us know all the important, basic thing behind their main focus topic, mosquito. Short and sweet is much better, very quick to reach people. So highly recommend it to all to watch it. As the new- new troubles the humans face every day, we must keep learning the truths, and so keep spreading the awareness to other from what we'd seen. This kind of films is never a waste of time!

_10/10_