5 Tips to Protect your Loved Ones from Dengue

July 08, 2020

In the week ending 4 July 2020, 1454 new Dengue Cases were reported. Based on the data provided by the Ministry of Health, the number of dengue cases is expected to continue rising for a while.

The female Aeges aegypti is the main carrier for the Dengue virus. This breed of mosquitos are generally smaller compared to their counterparts and are easily recognized by the white stripes on their legs. They tend to thrive in the urban environment, which is also known as, our homes. NEA mentioned that about 60% of the breeding areas are found in homes. During the circuit breaker, there was a 5-time increase in Aedes mosquito larvae being detected in homes compared to the previous 2 months. Because of Covid-19, more of us are staying home, and hence, we need to play our parts to ensure that our loved ones are safe.

5 Simple Ways to Protect your Loved Ones from Dengue

1. Spray insecticide regularly

Spray insecticide in dark corners of your house, such as under the sofa, bed and table or behind curtains. This will prevent mosquitos from hiding or lurking in your home.

2. Use Spatial Mosquito Repellent

NEA recommends the use of Mosquito coils in well ventilated. However, you can check out our Anti-Mosquito home fragrance range that can be used in both well-ventilated and poorly ventilated areas!

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3. Apply mosquito repellent when going out

Mosquito repellents should be applied as much as possible when you leave your home, especially when you are near areas that are known to be a Dengue Cluster.

4. Stay covered and wear light-colored clothing

The logic behind staying covered is that mosquito cannot bite through thick fabric, so skin covered by the fabric is protected. Also, when the mosquito is close, it engages a different sense to detect people. They spot dark colors easily thus wearing light colors can help to prevent mosquito bites.

5. Prevent Breeding - Do the Mozzie Wipeout

The mozzie wipeout recommended by NEA focuses on removing stagnant water at home to prevent breeding. Here are the 5 key areas to check!

Turn pails upside down when not in use
Tip the Vase
Flip the flower pot plate
Loosen hardened soil
Clear the roof gutter and drains within compounds, and place Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis(Bti) insecticide inside

Types of Dengue Strain

Dengue fever is a disease caused by the dengue virus which is transmitted to humans through an infected mosquito. There are 4 different serotypes of dengue (DENV1 – 4). Individuals can be infected with dengue up to 4 times and repeated infections are said to have a higher probability of severe dengue.

Symptoms of Dengue

Photo from: Unicare

Here are some of the reported symptoms obtains from the MOH Website:

Sudden onset of fever for 2-7 days
Severe headache with pain behind the eyes
Joint and muscle pain
Skin rash
Nausea and vomiting

Mild bleeding (e.g. nose or gum bleed, or easy bruising of the Symptoms usually appear 4-7 days after being bitten (ranges from 3-14 days).

If you think you have dengue fever, seek medical attention immediately.

Note: Methods described in the article only helps to lower and mitigate the risk of coming in contact with Aedes Mosquito. These methods should be adopted under the user’s discretion.