Hey There, Filipino! Your Roles In Preventing The Spread Of Dengue

What are your roles in preventing dengue in the Philippines?

1. Spread accurate information through social media
2. Avail pest control services to handle mosquito infestation effectively
3. Attend seminars conducted in the internet or in your area, if possible, in order to be educated and well-informed of dengue
4. Maintain cleanliness in your environment in order to avoid mosquitoes from hanging out in your place

If you see your children suddenly rejoicing from out of nowhere at home, you might want to check outside, fellow mother. If it’s unnaturally hot and school’s out, you know what time it is: summer time! Your kids are definitely thinking about gimmicks with their friends, summer camps, every day visits to the mall, and similar activities.

But summer vacations aren’t just avenues to relax and enjoy. The intense heat and additional humidity draw mosquitoes and dengue. Yes, summer time is also dengue prevention month. As a not just a concerned mother, but a Filipino, you’ve got to spread the word to protect your fellow countrymen. Today, we’ll look at how you can do just that with social media, pest control here in the Philippines, seminars/reading, and cleanliness.

1. Social media

One of the first roles you can play in preventing the spread of dengue is through leading information dissemination. The easiest way to do that nowadays is to log on your social media account (like Facebook & Twitter), get articles from the Internet pertaining to dengue prevention, and share them on your news feed for everyone else to see. Some of the resources you can check on are the Department of Health (DOH); and the Center For Disease Control (CDC).

2. Pest control

Another role you can take is being the home protector. As the summer months draw on, you can expect mosquito presence to increase in and around your home. Your best tool against these winged pests is a professional exterminator service. Hire one like Topbest. They have experts who will fog, spray, and mist your home to keep those dengue-ridden mosquitoes away from your home.

Basically, there are numerous types of pest control that experts make use of in order to kill pests that lounges in your area. Some of these include:

Biological pest control

This type of pest control uses other organisms such as predators and parasites to control and handle pests. While this may be harmless to people, this may create biodiversity once performed without accurate knowledge.

For mosquitoes, experts use Bt Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. Israelensis. It is a bacteria that can infect and kill mosquito larvae. They are put in water sources where the mosquitoes may breed.

It’s one of the most ideal methods of controlling and getting rid of mosquitoes that one can do today.

Eliminating breeding grounds

The most well-known type of pest control is eliminating breeding grounds. This includes proper waste management, and emptying items that may still hold water.

This is important given that this is where the infestation starts, still water which may serve as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes, and unattended garbage which may provide food and shelter to these pests

Space fumigation and treatment

Space fumigation is an effective way to get rid of mosquitoes given that it includes gas in the process, which may kill all life stages of the said pests. Space treatment on the other hand, includes fogging or misting that does not require people from evacuating the space. Basically, it uses liquid insecticides to perform the fogging or misting.

3. Seminars

If you don’t know anything about mosquitoes and dengue, then it’s time to put on your information seeker hat. As with the first role, you can find these kinds of seminars easily on the Internet. While you’re at it, spread the word on your social media accounts and invite your friends to join in, too!

Another way to do that is read up on pamphlets and articles you can find about the dreaded mosquito-borne disease. You’ll be arming yourself with vital information on how you can prevent dengue, which in turn will help you apply these in your personal life. Speaking of, one vital piece of information you can find is…

4. Cleanliness

Dengue prevention is possible once you are able to adapt into the role of sanitation expert. A major mosquito (and dengue) magnet is any small body of water. These places serve as breeding grounds for new mosquitoes to come alive. In order to prevent the spread of dengue, you’ve got to eliminate water from catch basins and puddles outside your home and cover all water containers inside. Be sure to mop up any spoilt H₂O as well, just to increase your chances.

Some other ways that you can maintain cleanliness on your surroundings and within your home and prevent dengue are as follows:

• Clean your yard. Those untrimmed bushes, stuck garbage on your garage, and the damp wood that’s been left sitting along with the garbage should be removed and thrown away. Start cleaning your yard and make sure that it would not serve the mosquitoes a comfortable place to live in. After all, mosquitoes are fond of dark and damp places.
• Do not leave your doors and windows open. While a breath of fresh air early in the morning may seem a good start for the day, do not leave it open at most times. Experts say that there’s a common misconception about mosquitoes that they will fly away into the sunlight when you leave your doors and windows open.
• Spray insecticides regularly. Regularly doesn’t mean every day, it may be after a day or two so as not to stuff your home with too much chemicals. Spray them on dark areas, corners, cabinets, and crevices where insects may most likely hang out. Surely, you’ll see tons of dead insects the next day on the areas where you sprayed the insecticides. Furthermore, avoid doing the routine at times where there’s a lot of people in the house. As much as possible do it when everybody’s not around to avoid them getting exposed to the chemicals.
• Apply insect repellents regularly. Insect repellents with ingredients DEET, picaridin, and IR3535 are the most effective in avoiding the risks of dengue. These ingredients help block the scent of the person against the mosquito’s sensors, thus avoiding mosquito bites.

We hope your children’s summer is fun and dengue free, as with your fellow Filipinos. If you know any other roles you can take to prevent the spread of dengue, let us know in the comments section below.