JOIN US“If you know you have dengue, avoid getting further mosquito bites during the first week of illness. Virus may be circulating in the blood during this time, and therefore you may transmit the virus to new uninfected mosquitoes, who may in turn infect other people,” warns the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Dengue should be suspected when a high fever (104°F) is accompanied by two of the following symptoms during the febrile phase: severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, rash.
Proximity of mosquito vector-breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for dengue as well as for other diseases that Aedes mosquito transmit. WHO recommends the following measures.
• Prevent mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats by environmental management and modification
• Dispose solid waste properly and remove artificial man-made habitats that can hold water
• Cover, empty and clean domestic water storage containers on a weekly basis; apply appropriate insecticides to water storage outdoor containers.
• Use personal household protection measures, such as window screens, repellents, insecticide treated materials, coils and vaporizers. These measures must be observed during the day both inside and outside of the home as the primary mosquito vectors bites throughout the day.
• Wear clothing that minimises skin exposure to mosquitoes.
• Engage with the community to improve participation and mobilisation for sustained vector control.
• As an emergency vector control measure, spray insecticides.
• Actively monitor vector abundance and species composition to determine effectiveness of control interventions.
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