SMKJA DENGUE PETROL

-DENGUE AWARENESS PROGRAMME

Q1. What is ‘Dengue’ and ‘Aedes’ ?

The Aedes mosquitoes are identified by the black and white stripes on their bodies.

Dengue Fever is a disease spread through the bite of the Aedes Mosquito, particularly aegypti.

Q2. How are healthy people infected by Aedes? Is dengue contagious ?

Dengue is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.

When an infected mosquito bites an uninfected person, it passes the virus to that person. In turn, when the infected person is bitten by an uninfected mosquito, that mosquito becomes infected and capable of spreading to other uninfected individuals.

The incubation period (the time between somebody being infected with a disease and the appearance of the first symptoms) of dengue fever normally ranges from between 3 to 14 days.

The virus does not spread from human-to-human. But a person can be infected by the virus-tainted blood during blood transfusion.

Q3. What are the symptoms of dengue ?

fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and  skin rash that is similar to measles

The disease can develop into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding (e.g. gum bleeding, nose bleeding and bleeding into the skin and internal organs)or into dengue shock syndrome ( low blood pressure occurs).

Severe dengue can cause organ damage, dehydration, and eventually, death.

There is no known cure for dengue, and the only way to recover from the infection is up to your body’s own immune system.

Q4.How many times can a person be infected with dengue ?

There are four serotypes (strains) of dengue viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4) which can infect you.

Infection with one strain will provide protection against only that particular strain. Future infection by other strains is possible.

Q5. Do all Aedes mosquitoes spread dengue ?

No. Only the female Aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.

Q6. When do Aedes mosquitoes normally attack us ?

They typically bite during the day, particularly in the early morning (dawn) and in the evening (dusk).

Q7. How many eggs can an Aedes mosquito lay ?

The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito is two weeks.

The mosquito can lay eggs about three times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time.

The eggs can lie dormant in dry conditions for up to about 6-9 months, after which they can hatch if exposed water and food.

It only takes a drop, the size of a 20 cents coin or a teaspoon of stagnant water for an Aedes mosquito to breed.

 Q8. How do we protect ourselves from dengue ?

Precautions include : a. wearing long-sleeved clothes, b. using mosquito coils and electric

vapour mats, and using insect repellent over the exposed parts of the body.

c. clearing blockages from the roof gutter, clearing leaves and stagnant water from drains,

d. removing water from potted plants daily and changing the water in vases everyday.

e. Household pesticides effectively kill mosquitoes upon direct contact.

f. Be smart about planning your outdoor activities, and avoid going out during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

Q9. What has our government done to eradicate dengue ?

(a) the usage of the Toxorhynchites (Toxo) mosquito, or the ‘elephant mosquitoes’, to combat dengue (in Subang). Toxo mosquito larvae work by eating the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes.

Its larva lifecycle is 30 days and during that time, it can devour up to 400 Aedes larvae.A Toxo mosquito is 3 times larger than the Aedes mosquito. These Elephant mosquitoes do not suck blood and as such are not harmful to humans as they only feed on plant nectar.

(b) Malaysia's Health Ministry is trying outdoor spraying of a deltamethrin-based insecticide to kill Aedes mosquitoes in view of the record high number of dengue fever cases recently.

Q10 Name the breeding grounds of mosquitoes

Unusual Mosquito Breeding Sites

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