Dengue Fever is caused by a virus, but the more important thing is it is transmitted by a mosquito named Aedes. The saying “Prevention is better than cure”, is not just for Covid-19 infection, but for any disease. When it comes to Dengue one should remember that it does not have a specific treatment, therefore prevention becomes paramount.

There are 3 main ways to prevent spread of Dengue vector (mosquito) –

1. Prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
2. Prevent Mosquito bites
3. Other Mosquito Control Measures

How to Prevent mosquito from breeding inside and outside the house

• Do not allow the water to accumulate inside or outside your home.
• Clean or change your Cooler water weekly.
• Look for other sources of water accumulation inside and outside like tires, tin cans, trash etc.
• If you store water, cover it properly.

How to avoid bite from Dengue mosquito

• Wear Long sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use Mosquito net while sleeping at night or daytime.
• Cover your baby stroller with a mosquito net.
• Use screens on window
• Use mosquito repellents.

What is Mosquito repellent?

Mosquito repellent are products that when applied to the body or cloth, repel mosquitos. They can be both Synthetic and naturally occurring. The effectiveness of naturally occurring repellents is not known.

• Apply on the skin exposed. No need to apply under clothing.
• Do not use on cut wounds.
• Do not use if your Skin has any problem/lesion/Rash already.
• If using Spray, do not spray directly on the face, especially in children. First spray on hand, then apply to face.
• Some examples of mosquito repellents:
  • DEET
  • Picaridin (known as KBR 3023)
  • Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
  • Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• In children less than 3 years of age avoid products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• What if you use sunscreen also? – Apply Sunscreen first, then apply mosquito repellent.

Treat your clothing and other equipment with 0.5% Permethrin.

• Permethrin both kill and repel the mosquito.
• Equipment like Tents can be treated with same.
• Once treated, its protection lasts for a few days.
• Do not apply permethrin directly to your skin for this purpose.

Mosquito Nets

• Protects from mosquito bites
• It should be white to easily detect mosquitoes.
• Rectangular net is the best pattern.
• No holes or rents.
• The size of the openings should not exceed 0.0475 inch in any diameter.
• There are approximately 145-150 holes in one square inch.

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