In recent days, dengue fever causes mortality and morbidity in an alarming rate around the city which has been of major concern to all of us. Undoubtedly, the polluted environment of the city is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. The Aedes mosquito carries dengue virus. Once a mosquito bites an infected person, it picks up the virus from the infected person’s body and the virus remains in its body. After biting another individual, the virus is transmitted and the person comes down with dengue fever. This year the virus has already spread its wings aggressively and has been taking more alarming turn. But the incidence of this unpleasant disease is not expected to rise even higher. Preparation is vital in taking the sting out of this fatal plague.
Following some simple ways, we can easily avoid every of the problems that the virus brings.
CLEANLINESS IN HOMES
An untidy home is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. We need to make sure that we have a tidy home and every corner has been wiped, mopped and swept. Aedes mosquito prefers to breed in stagnant & clean water easily found in our homes. We need to check and remove stagnant water frequently in our premises including pots, broken tubs, coconut shells, tree holes etc. We will change water in the flower vases on a regular basis while ensuring flowerpot plates remain dry.
No vessel should be placed below or on air-conditioning unit. Roof gutters and drains need to be cleared of silt and leaves to avoid clogging, ending up in stagnant water build up.
A MOSQUITO NET
All of us love a breeze of fresh air in the room. Large window openings or open verandahs create a pathway to ventilate our home and along with fresh air enters harmful insects which becomes a health risk for our family members, be it kids or adults. Hence it is important that we start using mosquito nets for preventing health hazards. This small step will allow us to enjoy the green ambience minus the health risks.
While incorporating this, we will make sure mosquito nets are fine enough to exclude such insects without reducing visibility or air ventilation to unacceptable levels.
Now-a-days, many renowned developers provide with built-in mosquito net in the flat. While deciding to buy/rent a flat, we need to check out this important thing for our health’s sake.
PLANNED LANDSCAPE
Who doesn’t love greenery? A perfect landscaped area in front of the home/office or on rooftop? This landscaping should be done perfectly. While incorporating this, we will check out the water doesn’t stand still; otherwise mosquitoes are sure to breed. It can turn our perfect evening into a nightmare. Our enjoyment should not encourage mosquitoes to breed in any way.
While going for landscaping, we will consider some of these insects’ repellent plants to be planted like Lemon Balm, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Citronella etc.
INSECT REPELLENT SPRAY
We never know when a mosquito is out there, so we should always be prepared by applying a repellent inside our home, for instance – insect repellent spray/bug spray, especially in the evening.
CITRONELLA OIL IN HOME
There are some plant oils that work as mosquito repellents, one of which is citronella. It is a natural and effective thing mixed in mosquito repellants. Burning citronella oils and candles in our home will not only make our space smell fresh, but it can also help prevent dengue in our lovely abode.
HOLIDAY PREPARATION
When we plan for a holiday or vacation for a longer period of time, we need to take enough measures to make sure there is no water stagnation. We will turn out the buckets in the washrooms, tip the vases in all the rooms, will flip the flowerpot plate and loosen the hardened soil so that water can’t stand there.
Above all, the place where we stay should be an enjoyable, happy place where we can live and laugh. It should be somewhere where we will be safe surely.
