If They Breed, You Will Bleed

The government is really stepping up on it's effort to stamp out Aedes mosquitoes. Though they have been doing it every year, this year seems to be more active with tougher enforcement.

We've seen advertisements on TV and newspapers on how to prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding at out homes. But many may not really understand on this whole dengue thinghy. I mean, if u do not understand the 'enemy', how ur gonna win the war?

So today, kor-kor will explain a little bit on this. Hopefully it will be more insightful and prove to be informative.

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.