Prevention of dengue fever

Prevention of dengue fever

At present there is no dengue vaccine; one is currently in development. Even so, developing a vaccine to protect against four closely related viruses that can cause the disease will not be easy.

The best method of prevention is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. If you live or travel to an area where dengue exists, there a number of ways to avoid being bitten:

• Clothing - your chances of being bitten are significantly reduced if you expose as little skin as possible. When in an area with mosquitoes, be sure to wear long trousers/pants, long sleeved shirts, and socks. For further protection, tuck your pant legs into your shoes or socks. Wear a hat.
• Mosquito repellants - be sure to use one with at least 10% concentration of DEET, you will need a higher concentration the longer you need the protection, avoid using DEET on young children.
• Use mosquito traps and nets - studies have shown that the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes is considerably reduced if you use a mosquito net when you go to sleep. Untreated nets are significantly less effective because the mosquito can bite the host through the net if the person is standing next to it. Also, even tiny holes in the netting are usually enough for the mosquito to find a way in. Nets that have been treated with insecticide are much more protective. Not only does the insecticide kill the mosquito and other insects, it is also a repellent - fewer mosquitoes are likely to enter the room(s).
• Smell - Avoid wearing heavily scented soaps and perfumes.
• Windows - use structural barriers, such as window screens or netting.
• Camping - if you are camping, treat clothes, shoes and camping gear with permethrin. There are clothes which have been treated with permethrin.
• Certain times of day - try to avoid being outside at dawn, dusk and early evening.
• Stagnant water - the Aedes mosquito prefers to breed in clean, stagnant water. It is important to frequently check and remove stagnant water in your home/premises.
  
  
  • Turn pails (buckets) and watering cans over; store them under shelter so water cannot accumulate in them.
  • Remove the water from plant pot plates. To remove mosquito eggs, clean and scrub them thoroughly. Ideally, do not use plant pot plates.
  • Loosen soil from potted plants. This will prevent puddles from developing on the surface of hard soil.
  • Make sure scupper drains are not blocked; do not place potted plants and other objects over the scupper drains.
  • Gully traps that are rarely used should be covered; replace gully traps with non-perforated ones, and install anti-mosquito valves.
  • Do not place receptacles under or on top of any air-conditioning unit.
  • Flower vases - change the water every other day. When you do so, scrub the inside of the vase thoroughly and rinse it out.
  • Leaves - make sure leaves are not blocking anything which may result in the accumulation of puddles or stagnant water. 
  
  article source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471.php