Effective Ways on How to Prevent Dangers of Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a disease transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquito. Dengue fever is common in the tropical and subtropical areas. Every year there are about 390 million cases of dengue fever.

Causes

Dengue fever is caused by dengue viruses. The spread of dengue viruses occurs with the help of Aedes mosquitoes. An Aedes mosquito will carry a dengue virus if it bites a person whose blood has been infected by dengue virus. If there is other person bitten by an Aedes mosquito carrying dengue virus, the dengue virus will infect that person.

Symptoms

Once a person is bitten by an Aedes mosquito carrying dengue virus, symptoms may occur within four to six days. Symptoms are as follows :

A more serious problem, which is dengue hemorrhagic fever, can also develop. The symptoms are :

  • Bleeding from the nose or gums
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Continuous vomiting
  • Blood in the urine or feces
  • Bruising skin
  • Stomachache

By the way, there are several ways to naturally relieve mosquito bites.

Prevention

There are only two ways on how to prevent dangers of dengue fever. The first is to do whatever it takes to inhibit the growth of Aedes mosquitoes. The second is protecting yourself from the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. Let’s examine both ways.

Inhibit the Growth of Aedes Mosquitoes

You should eliminate the places that mosquitoes use to breed. Aedes mosquitoes often breed in puddles of clean water.

1. Cover the Tub

Most houses in the tropics use tub or tank to hold water. If you use tub in the bathroom, you should put a lid on the tub. Aedes mosquitoes love to breed in clean water. Therefore your tub can be an easy target to breed. Do not be surprised. Even though the water in the tub looks clean visually, it may contain the larva of the Aedes mosquito.

2. Drain the Tub Regularly

In addition to cover the tub, you should drain the tub regularly. At least you should drain the tub once a week to remove the larva of the Aedes mosquito. After emptying the tub, wash the tub with soap to remove any dirt. Make sure the tub is clean, and then you can use it again to hold water. Mark your calendar for the next draining.


3. Reduce Puddles

Maybe you do not realize there are many puddles around your house that could potentially become a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes. E.g. water in used cans, used tires, buckets, and so on. You must destroy those abandoned goods or bury them. The water in the cage should be replaced regularly. So house is not the only thing you need to clean, the environment around the house should also be kept clean.

4. Do Not Hang Your Clothes

Mosquitoes love to hide on the sidelines of hanging clothes. Therefore you should not hang clothes for too long. The clothes to be washed should be put into a closed basket. Clean or washed clothes should be folded and put into a closed wardrobe. It is better if the wardrobe is given camphor. A clean, dry, scented and enclosed wardrobe will protect your clothes from the visit of mosquitoes

5. Sprinkle the Abate Powder

A more practical way to prevent dangers of dengue fever is to pour abate powder into a tub. Especially for a tub or water tank that is not easy to drain and you can not put a lid on it. Abate powder will kill the larva of Aedes mosquito thus preventing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes. Abate powder should be given every 2 months.

6. Fogging

Fogging is a traditional way used by governments to prevent the spread of dengue fever. This method is considered inexpensive and effective to be practiced in dense settlements. Fogging aims to minimize the occurrence of dengue fever by killing all mosquitoes.

Fogging is commonly used in transition seasons, the days when an increase in dengue cases is occurring.

Protect Yourself

You should minimize the risk of being bitten by Aedes mosquitoes. Aedes mosquitoes prefer to hunt from dawn to dusk. Some of the ways below can help you.

1. Use Mosquito Net

This method is quite effective to avoid mosquito bites. Mosquito net can be installed in a crib or in a bed. Make sure there are no holes in the mosquito net or the gap between the mosquito net and the bed.

If possible, use the air conditioner while you are in the room. Mosquitoes do not like the cold. Just set the air conditioner at 20 degrees Celsius.

2. Plant Mosquito Repellent Plants

Some plants have an aroma that is not preferred by mosquitoes, e.g. lavender, citronella, lemon balm, catnip and geranium. Lavender contains linalool and lynalyl acetate, which are two substances highly disliked by mosquitoes.

Geranium contains geraniol and citronellol, aromatic compounds that are hated by mosquitoes. You can plant those plants in pots and place them by a window or door so that no mosquitoes will infiltrate your home.

3. Apply Anti-Mosquito Lotion

Aedes mosquitoes love to hunt from dawn to dusk, a time when humans are usually most active. If you are physically active, you are less likely to be in the air-conditioned room throughout the day. Therefore, applying anti mosquito lotion is the best protection you can have to deal with the threat of Aedes mosquitoes.

4. Close the Vents with Wire Netting

Close the ventilation holes in your home with wire netting. In addition to preventing the invasion of mosquitoes, wire netting can also prevent infiltration of other insects such as cockroaches and flies. But as a consequence, you must make a schedule to check the integrity of the wire netting and clean it from dust. You can never guess what could make a hole in the wire netting.

5. Wear a Long-Sleeved Shirt and Long Pants

You will never know when you will be bitten, whether the bites will occur indoors or outdoors. That’s why it’s important for you to wear clothing that gives you maximum protection. Wear long sleeves, long pants, socks and closed shoes. Fortunately, you will not look like a freak. There are various types of long sleeves that will keep you looking stylish. There are many choices of fabrics that will not make you hot. But avoid tight pants. There are some dangers of wearing tight pants for health.

Well, those are some ways on how to prevent dangers of dengue fever. You can practice them right now because they are so simple and do not cost much. After all, prevention is always better than cure.

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