DIMAPUR, JUNE 27 (MExN): With the onset of monsoon known to create favorable conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes, particularly aedes aegypti species, which transmits the Dengue virus, the Department of Health & Family Welfare (DoH&FW) on Tuesday issued a public advisory for Dengue prevention.
Dengue fever is a viral tropical disease that is transmitted by the aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue mosquito bites during daytime mostly early morning and evening.
The advisory issued by Dr Neisakho Kere, Joint Director and SPO, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), DoH&FW informed that dengue, the viral infection, spreads through the bite of an infected female mosquito and can prove to be deadly in severe cases. There is no specific treatment of Dengue and it is important to get proper medical care when diagnosed with the disease.
In the event of a dengue outbreak and also to prevent the same, it has appealed the public to follow the following measures- use of insecticide repellents; using mosquito nets (LLIN) daily during day and night time, wearing long sleeve clothing/long pants. Avoid stagnation of water in and around your homes/dwellings, tires, flower pot bases, unclogging of drains and covering of water tankers to curb mosquito breeding.
It also called for identification of stagnant water in and around the household surroundings and to remove them. Dengue mosquito breeds in even the smallest of container containing stagnant water example a ‘bottle cap,’ so it is pertinent to remove all big and small mosquito breeding sites, it added.
It also called for observation of ‘one dry day in a week’ where water in all the containers around the house are emptied out into a dry area.
Due to water stagnation in and around the households, dengue vectors may breed which could lead to increase mosquito density. Dengue vectors tend to breed in stagnant water if left unchecked, all precautions must be taken to ensure that water does not get accumulated in and around containers at any given period.
It pointed out that fogging is just a temporary intervention and the only permanent solution is community participation in controlling Dengue mosquito also known as tiger mosquito because of its black and white marking.
In case of fever, all concerned have been urged to immediately visit the nearest hospital.
When a person is infected by the mosquito, the virus circulates in the blood for 2-7 days which is the amount of time the fever takes to develop.
