Page 3 - Dengue.pdf

Robust eggs
Aedesaegypti lays eggs on the sides of
containers and these remain stuck to the
surface like glue. The eggs can survive
without water for almost a year and
hatch as soon as they are submerged in
water. The larvae that emerge from the
eggs are also tough and can survive in
water for a long time even if the
temperature is unfavorable. This makes
it more important to avoid water
stagnation in any form.
Aggressive day time biter
Unlike malaria mosquitoes, dengue
mosquitos bite during the day with their
activity peaking at dawn and dusk. It is
preferable to have all day protection. At
home, you can try using natural
mosquito repellents like citronella oil,
lemon grass oil and neem oil or chemical
repellents to keep mosquitoes away.
Cover your exposed areas well. If you
need to go out, make sure to wear full-
sleeved clothing and apply a mosquito
repellent cream. Insecticide treated bed
nets which are used extensively in
malaria control are not very effective in
preventing dengue.
Stealth attacker and sip-feeder
The female mosquito bites from the back
to avoid easy spotting. It bites on the
elbows and ankles. The female dengue
mosquito never sucks a stomach-full of
blood at one go but darts from one
person to another taking just a sip, till
the dengue virus spreads to several
P.G. Better Living
people. After every meal, she lays a
batch of 400 to 500 eggs, which
happens about 5 times in her lifespan.
The mosquito lays the eggs in a different
place every time.
Increase in incidence
Though the Aedes mosquito flies around
and stays in a range of about 400
meters, international travel and trade
has spread its activity and incidence
across continents. Some studies also
suggest that global warming and change
in rainfall patterns have resulted in an
increase of mosquito borne diseases like
dengue and malaria in temperate
climates.
Do we stand a chance against
this canny mosquito
New and novel methods to combat
dengue are being researched upon
every day. Some examples include
vaccines, release of sterile male
mosquitoes, and a promising method
which involves infecting the mosquito
with a harmless natural bacterium called
Wolbachia. This bacterium blocks the
dengue virus from growing in the
mosquito's body. The government
cannot employ enough persons to
search every backyard to identify and
destroy breeding sites on a consistent
basis to prevent this mosquito from
breeding. Therefore, as individuals and
communities, we need to continue to put
in all-out efforts to control this mosquito.