BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) said on Tuesday that fighting dengue requires collective effort among residents, as cleaning means everybody doing it.
“It is the responsibility of all because even if one household constantly destroys breeding sites, if others do not, mosquitoes will still breed and fly to other areas,” Alexander Baday, Entomologist III of the DOH-CAR, said during the “Kapihan with CARE” at the agency’s training center on Tuesday.
He said dengue prevention is a community project, with everyone expected to take part in its control.
He added that dengue-carrying mosquitoes have a flight range of up to 300 meters from the breeding area, placing people living within that distance at risk.
Baday said that as part of the observance of the Dengue Awareness Month, they are advocating a simultaneous clean-up among the residents as a protective measure.
“The start of zero dengue deaths is zero cases, and the start of zero dengue cases is zero mosquitoes. That is why we need to destroy mosquitoes,” he said.
Baday said the mosquito egg thrives at the waterline and can survive for about eight months even without water. Once watered, the egg can hatch and develop into a larva that will eventually become a mosquito.
“Containers must be brushed to ensure that mosquito eggs are removed from the container. Turn it upside down to dry before refilling and tightly cover the lid,” he said in Filipino.
Once the mosquito egg becomes a larva, it is the best time to destroy it, as larvae cannot live without water, making them easier to eliminate.
“While they are in the water, let us already find them before they find us when they become mosquitoes,” Baday said.
A mosquito can lay 150 eggs a day and live for 30 to 45 days, meaning a single mosquito can produce hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes.
Baday said that while mosquitoes are most active from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., it is better that they are not allowed to stay by eliminating them while they are still eggs and larvae.
He said dengue-carrying mosquitoes can bite multiple times, increasing the risk of infection among several people.
“Unlike an ordinary mosquito that stays biting when it has sucked a lot of blood, dengue-carrying mosquitoes, on the other hand, can transfer to another person after biting one,” he added.
Dengue mosquitoes are also low-flying and generally bite the ankles, requiring that people use protection.
Baday reiterated the call for a united stance against dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases as a preventive measure against the deadly disease, which is now considered a year-round threat. *Liza Agoot
