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Dengue Prevention Checklist

To prevent the spread of dengue fever, you must first prevent the breeding of its carrier, the Aedes mosquitoes. The Aedes mosquito is easily identifiable by its distinctive black and white stripes on their body. It prefers to breed in clean, stagnant water, easily found in our homes. You can get rid of the Aedes mosquito by frequently checking and removing stagnant water in your premises.

The guidelines below will give you an overview of how you can prevent the Aedes mosquito from breeding.

For residents in HDB and condominiums

For residents in landed homes

Dengue Prevention slides

At all times
v Turn pails and watering cans over and store them under shelter.

v Remove water in plant pot plates. Clean and scrub the plate thoroughly to remove mosquito eggs. Avoid the use of plant pot plates, if possible.

v Loosen soil from potted plants to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water on the surface of the hardened soil.

v Do not block the flow of water in scupper drains along common corridors in HDB estates. Avoid placing potted plants and other paraphernalia over the scupper drains.

v Cover rarely used gully traps. Replace the gully trap with non-perforated ones and install anti-mosquito valves.

v Cover bamboo pole holders after use. Rainwater can potentially accumulate in these bamboo pole holders if they are uncovered and create a habitat.

v No tray or receptacles should be placed beneath and or/ on top of any air-conditioning unit so as not to create a condition favourable for mosquito breeding.

Every other day
v Change water in flower vases. Clean and scrub the inner sides of vases. Wash roots of flowers and plants thoroughly as mosquito eggs can stick to them easily.

Once a week
v Clear fallen leaves and stagnant water in your scupper drains and garden. These leaves could collect water or cause chokages to the drains thus resulting in the buildup of stagnant water.
v Clear any stagnant water in your air cooler unit.

Once a month
v Add prescribed amounts of sand granular insecticide into vases, gully traps and roof gutters, even if they are dry. You can see the list of retailers who carry sand granular insecticides in their stores at this webpage:

v Clear away fallen leaves in roof gutters and apron drains. If structurally feasible, remove the roof gutters.

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Under optimal conditions, the egg of an Aedes mosquito can hatch into a larva in less than a day. The larva then takes about four days to develop in a pupa, from which an adult mosquito will emerge after two days. Three days after the mosquito has bitten a person and taken in blood, it will lay eggs, and the cycle begins again.
Fast facts about the mosquito

* Only the female aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.
* The mosquito becomes infective approximately 7 days after it has bitten a person carrying the virus. This is the extrinsic incubation period, during which time the virus replicates in the mosquito and reaches the salivary glands.
* Peak biting is at dawn and dusk.
* The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in Nature is 2 weeks
* The mosquito can lay eggs about 3 times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time.
* The eggs can lie dormant in dry conditions for up to about 9 months, after which they can hatch if exposed to favourable conditions, i.e. water and food
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A recent NEJM showed that Insect repellants containing the chemical DEET are more effective mosquito deterrents than other synthetic repellents or plant-derived products.

DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) is a chemical that was patented by the US Army in 1946 and is still recognized as the most effective mosquito repellent available. However, many consumers may balk at applying DEET to their skin and instead try plant-based products or other alternatives.

The researchers pitted several DEET-based insect repellents against seven botanical products and another synthetic repellent containing a compound called IR3535. The researchers also tested three wristbands containing either DEET or citronella, a plant oil common in botanical insect repellents.

They found that, overall, DEET products offered longer-lasting mosquito protection to the 15 volunteers tested. A formulation with 23.8% DEET provided just over 300 minutes of complete protection, according to the report. That compared with about 23 minutes with the IR3535 product, and an average of less than 20 minutes for most botanicals, which were largely citronella-based. None of the wristbands were effective.

One plant product was, however, comparable to the lowest-concentration DEET product. This soybean-oil-based repellent provided about 95 minutes of complete protection, on average, the investigators found.

While another plant product, that uses a mixture of herbal ingredients excel well after being left in the well ventilated room for 3 days and more. The protection last for 10 - 20 days in the room.

In addition, Fradin and Day tested a eucalyptus-oil product that was introduced in the US after their study was completed. Among six volunteers, the product provided an average of 2 hours of mosquito protection.

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Well summer is upon us and if you have been doing any gardening like I have you will have plenty of mosquito bites to show for it. Most of you, I am certain, know of the dangers of using any insect repellant like OFF that has the chemical DEET in it.

This is a potent chemical that has actually killed people in high dosages. This should never be used on people. There are natural alternatives available.

One that seems to have great promise is Buzz Away. It has been proven to more effective than Avon Skin So Soft, Bug Guard, Bite Blocker, Natrapel, Jungel Juice AND it equaled effectiveness of OFF! Deep Wood is formulated with Citronella, Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Lemon Grass and Peppermint, pure and natural plant extracts which repel bugs. But one short fall is that it last for 5hours. It is great for outdoor use.

Of course you can try Antimos, but it has extreme slow effect. You have to place the Antimos in a well ventilated location, near to a fan or window and the vapor will repel the mosquitoes and cockroaches. One good thing is this Antimos is able to last for 21 days or more. It provides total protection for a well ventilated room for up to 21 days.

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Home made repellent is usually made of Citronella extract and lemon grass extract. But seldom one knows the exact type of lemon grass and the exact type of citronella used by commerical variant.

Please note that there are many variant of lemon grass species, and citronella species. Only certain species provides the strong anti pest effect.
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Now, u all probably heard of malaria and dengue. So what is the difference?!

Well, malaria is cause by the Anopheles mosquito. Dengue on the other hand is caused by the Aedes mosquitoes. Both of these kind of sickness invloves high fever. Since it's hard to tell which kind of mosquito is which, just dun get bitten by any mosquitoes at all lah. Play safe lor.

There are 2 types of Dengue fever: Dengue Fever & Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF).

As mentioned earlier, the sickness causes high fever as well as severe headache and pain behind the eyes, muscles and joints but the DHF is more severe and in some cases, bleeding and sometimes shock occurs, leading to death. Bleeding for the DHF occurs after 3-5 days of fever.

The high fever continues for five to six days (39 - 40C). It comes down on the third or the fourth day but rises again. The patient feels much discomfort and is very weak after the illness.

There is no specific medicine for the treatment of the disease. However proper and early treatment can relieve the symptoms and prevent complications and death. Aspirin should be avoided in dengue fever, as it is known to increase the bleeding tendency and also it increases the stomach pain. Paracetamol can be given on medical advice. If one or more signs of Dengue Haemorrhagic fever are seen, take the patient to the hospital immediately. Give fluids to drink while transferring the patient to the hospital.

How dengue spreads? Dengue is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The mosquito gets the virus by biting the infected persons. The first symptoms of the disease occur about 5-7 days after an infected bite. There is no way to tell if a mosquito is carrying the dengue virus.

These Aedes Mosquitoes bite usually during the day. The mosquito rests indoors, in closets and other dark places. Outside, they rest where it is cool and shaded.

The female mosquito lays her eggs in water containers in and around homes, schools and other areas in towns or villages. These eggs become adult in about 10 days.

Where does the mosquito breed? Dengue mosquitoes breed in stored exposed water collections. That is why the public is encouraged to turn over any pails or empty any containers. Roof gutters, manhole covers and even the supports used for hanging laundry all of which were capable to trap rain water, provide temporary breeding sites for these mosquitoes.

Some of you all probably seen big thick white smoke around buildings. This is called fogging and is done to kill airborne mosquitoes. The killing of airborne mosquitoes will help prevent the male and female mosquitoes from future mating and producing more eggs. So that's a start.

To wrap up today's post, here's a few mosquitoes facts:

* Only female mosquitoes-and only a few of the thousands of mosquito species in the world-feed on humans. Most mosquitoes feed on nectar or other sources of sugar.
* Before the female mosquito actually draws your blood, she might probe your skin as many as 20 times, looking for a small blood vessel to nick.
* Mosquitoes don't whine just to be annoying. The high-pitched sound they make, created by their rapid wing beats (of up to 500 beats per second), helps the males hone in on a mate.
* The insects have adapted to almost every climate on earth. Some mosquito eggs can survive decades of drought in the Sahara until a brief rainfall permits a hatch.
* A single malarial mosquito-one of the most effective disease transmitters on earth-can infect more than 100 people.
* In recent years, mosquito-borne diseases have been responsible for about one in every 17 deaths on the planet (they cause three million or more of the 55 million annual deaths worldwide). Malaria alone kills one-to-three million people annually, the vast majority of them African children under the age of five.
* Mosquitoes are exquisitely tuned to human motion, heat, and odors. If you're fighting a swarm, waving your arms frantically can actually help more of them find you.

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There are other - low tech - methods to keep the mosquitoes from biting that some people swear by. Among them:

* Vitamin B-1.
* Fabric softener sheets.
* Clear real - not artificial - vanilla.
* Electronic (ultrasonic) devices.
* Wristbands, neckbands and ankle bands impregnated with repellents.
* Electrocuting devices ("bug zappers").
* Odour-baited mosquito traps.
* Citrosa plant (geranium houseplant).
* Marigolds.
* Skin moisturizers that do not contain an approved repellent active ingredient.

Trouble is they don't work, according to Health Canada. The agency says there are basically two ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes and other biting bugs: physical barriers and chemical barriers.

You can put a layer between you and the bug. Wear long-sleeved shirts (sleeves down, buttoned or zipped, tucked into pants) and long pants (tucked into socks or footwear). You can also wear light-coloured clothing, which wards off some bugs

You can use a mosquito net. But keep in mind that mosquitoes can still bite you if your skin is against the mesh.

Two types of chemical barriers reduce the risk of bug bites: repellents and insecticides. Repellents won't kill that lone mosquito buzzing around your tent. Instead, they will trick that bug into believing you're no tasty meal. Insecticides don't beat around the bush. They kill bugs on contact, or shortly afterwards.
'Natural-based' repellents

According to Health Canada, most repellents containing "naturally derived," or synthetic analogues of "naturally-derived," materials aren't your best protection against a swarm of hungry mosquitoes.

Some do repel mosquitoes, but not for very long. Products made from oil of citronella will generally buy you between 30 minutes and an hour of mosquito-free time. Health Canada also recommends that you don't rub the stuff on your skin. There are concerns that citronella repellents on skin may be a risk to your health.

Lemon eucalyptus plant extract is registered in Canada for use as an insect repellent. It may protect you for up to two hours, but is not recommended for use on children under the age of three.

Soybean oil two per cent "Blocker" products may keep you mosquito-free from one to four hours. Soybean oil has low toxicity, has no age-associated use restrictions, and is non-irritating. Consequently, it may also be considered an alternative to DEET, albeit one with a substantially shorter protection time and without a long history of use.

Despite some controversy Health Canada maintains that the best protection against biting mosquitoes continues to be repellents that contain DEET as their active ingredient. The higher the concentration, the better the protection.

A mosquito repellent with a 20 - 35 per cent concentration of DEET will keep the bugs away for six to 12 hours. DEET concentrations of less than 10 per cent will protect you for one to three hours.

For years, the labels on products containing DEET said clearly: "Do not use on infants or toddlers." Those guidelines have been amended to allow spray with 10 per cent or less DEET to be used on children as young as six months - but not for daily use.

Here are some guidelines on using products containing DEET:

* Don't use a stronger product than you need. If you're going out for an hour stroll in the evening, you don't need a product that keeps mosquitoes away for 13 hours.
* Follow the application instructions. Using more than the specified amount won't give you extra protection but may increase your risk.
* Don't apply DEET near eyes or mouth, or on broken skin. If using a spray, don't spray your face directly or breathe in the spray mist. Spray it on your hands and then rub it on your face.
* Don't apply DEET under clothing. Your skin may absorb it more quickly. Spray it over your clothes, and be sure to wash them before wearing again. DEET generally doesn't harm cotton, nylon or wool, but it can damage some synthetics.
* When you come back inside, wash the repellent off your skin.

Prevention remains the best defence against mosquito bites. Take a walk around your yard and check all flowerpots, garbage cans and eavestroughs for standing water. That's where mosquitoes love to frolic and make zillions more mosquitoes. And it doesn't take much. The insects can breed in as little as one centimetre of standing water.

Simple nets could help reduce the human toll of malaria across Africa, campaigners say.

The disease kills at least a million people every year - and kills a child in Africa every thirty seconds.

Ninety per cent of deaths from malaria occur in the sub-Saharan area of Africa.

The World Health Organization and Unicef have published a report, launched in Kenya on Friday to mark Africa Malaria Day by President Mwai Kibaki, urging more global investment for work to prevent and treat malaria.

A conference to mark the day was also held in London to highlight the need for action.

Fewer than 3% of children at risk of malaria are protected by the highly effective insecticide protected nets.

The WHO and Unicef are also calling for newer, more effective, combination drug therapies to be made more widely available across Africa.

MALARIA IN AFRICA
# Up to 3,000 children die each day
# Some one million people die each year
# Number of cases has quadrupled in 20 years

The humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has backed the call for the provision of new anti-malarial treatments, as traditional drugs are failing because of growing resistance to them.

MSF said the failure to fund the combination drug treatment showed an emphasis on saving money rather than saving lives.

The WHO and Unicef said prompt treatment of malaria, plus proper use of the nets could reduce malaria transmission by up to 60% and death rates in young children by around a fifth.

International lobby group, Massive Effort, say African governments should eliminate all sales taxes on malaria bed nets which can stop mosquitoes.

Good sanitation and running water also helps tackle malaria because the mosquitoes which carry the parasite then have nowhere to breed.

The United Nations has raised $200m for its latest malaria eradication campaign, but says it needs a billion dollars every year.

Resistance

Malaria cases are on the increase, with around four times the number of cases in the 1990s compared to the 1970s and two to three times the number of deaths in hospital.

In large part, this is due to high levels of resistance to the drugs chloroquin and sulphadoxine-pyrithemaine (SP).

By 1999, Tanzania had resistance rates ranging from 28 to 97%, in Kenya from 66 to 87% and from 10 to 80% in Uganda.

MSF is calling on donor agencies, such as the UK Department for International Development and the US Agency for International Development to plough more money into malarial treatment in Africa.

It wants them to fund the introduction of ACT - artemisinin-based combination therapy, which has been recommended by the WHO.

" Lots of this is preventable and we could do massively better "
Clare Short, UK International Development Secretary

Using artemisinin drugs, derived from the Chinese plant Artemisia annua in combination with other drugs such as amodiaquine can eradicate malaria symptoms in three days.

The drugs cost $1 to $3, compared to chloroquin which costs around 10 cents.

ACT has been introduced in some African countries, including the KwaZulu Natal province, where there was an 80% reduction in hospital deaths from malaria when ACT was introduced.

Other countries want to follow WHO guidance and introduce the therapy, but cannot afford to.

Pregnant women

Commenting on the WHO/Unicef report, UK International Development Secretary Clare Short said: "Malaria causes more ill-health and loss of life in Africa than any other disease or cause of ill health, and particularly affects children and pregnant women.

Mosquito "The thing that's worst of all about it is that lots of this is preventable and we could do massively better."

Carol Bellamy, executive director of Unicef, said: "Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds, and remains one of the most important threats to the health of pregnant women and their newborns.

"We have the knowledge and the potential to achieve our target of reducing the global burden of malaria by half by 2010, but we need much greater investment and political commitment."

Dr Nick White, professor of tropical medicine at Mahidol University, Thailand and Oxford University said: "What would you rather do - waste money on old cheap drugs that you know don't work or fund a more expensive treatment that will save lives?"

Dr Bernard Pecoul, director of MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, added: "Since 2001, WHO experts have recommended replacing failing malaria medicines with more effective treatments, but donors have failed to encourage this change, choosing to save money rather than lives."