Dengue/Severe dengue frequently asked questions
What can be done to reduce the risk of acquiring dengue?
The best preventive measure for areas infested with Aedes mosquito is to eliminate the mosquitoes’ egg laying sites – called source reduction. Lowering the number of eggs, larvae and pupae will reduce the number of emerging adult mosquitoes and the transmission of the disease. Examples of the following habitats are listed:
- Ant traps
- Flower vases and saucers
- Water storage tank (domestic drinking water, bathroom, etc…)
- Plastic containers
- Discarded bottles and tins
- Discarded tyres
- Artificial containers
- Tree holes, potholes, construction sites
- Drums for collecting rainwater
- Shells, husks, pods from trees
- Leaf axils of various plants
- Boats, equipment
Items that collect rainwater or are used to store water should be covered or properly discarded. The remaining essential containers should be emptied and cleaned and scrubbed (to remove eggs) at least once a week. This will avoid the adult mosquitoes to emerge from the egg/ larva/ pupa stage.
In fact, the community participation is the key to dengue prevention. As every household aims to reduce vector density, the transmission rate will decrease or maybe even stop.