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With the rise of the dengue fever cases in Singapore recently, I am sure many people are now more alert to this disease. In fact, Dengue Fever and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (a more severe form) are the most common mosquito-borne viral diseases not just in Singapore, but in the world. Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito and currently, there is still no drug for dengue. I've seen how my friends suffered when they contracted dengue fever and had to be hospitalised. The number of blood tests they have to do on a daily basis is scary - Definitely not something I want any of my loved ones to have to go through!
Two weekends ago, I was invited to a 'Fight Dengue Training & Block Visit' event organised by National Environment Agency (NEA) and People's Association (PA) to learn more about the disease, as well as the efforts put in to keep the dengue situation under control. I don't have many chances to attend grassroots' events, but I must say the residents' passion and excitement were contagious. The kampong spirit was everywhere in the air - Quite a happy sight, I must say.
These are the people who volunteered their time to be trained in the area of dengue fight so that they can help to educate the rest of the residents in the vicinity, and they also conduct regular checks at various homes to make sure that there are no traces of Aedes mosquito breeding. There are volunteers who regularly visit my own home to remind us to do the 5-step mozzie wipeout, and I am grateful to them for doing it. Must be really meaningful to be doing something like that.
I frankly wasn't expected much about the event, but I left with a lot more knowledge and information about dengue fever. That is absolutely useful for me because I stay at one of the areas with rising number of dengue cases. The new knowledge also made me realise that I cannot be complacent about it - I need to be proactive in order to protect my family from this disease.
Some interesting trivia about Aedes mosquitoes I learnt:
1. Only the female Aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.
2. Peak biting is at dawn and dusk.
3. The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in Nature is two weeks
4. The mosquito can lay eggs about three times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time.
5. The eggs can lie dormant in dry conditions for up to about nine months, after which they can hatch if exposed to favourable conditions - Just water the size of 20-cent coin can hatch the eggs!
It was quite interesting learning about these Aedes mosquitoes and clearing some misconceptions I grew up with. I had thought that pouring away stagnant water from buckets and containers in the house would do, but apparently, they can stick to the sides of the vessels and survive for up to nine months! That's pretty scary - I need to scrub the inside of all my vessels from now on. The mosquitoes also bite mostly at dawn and dusk, which is the time frame when majority of the people are at home. This is really cause for concern.
On one side of the training venue, there were Aedes mosquitoes on display. They are creepy to say the least - definitely not what I hope to be breeding anywhere near me. A volunteer shared with me that it takes a mere 7 days for the eggs to become fully-grown adult Aedes mosquitoes. That really means that we cannot be checking our buckets, containers or flower pots only once a month. They need to be checked frequently every few days!
That is perhaps the reason why people say that the world's deadliest creature is the mosquito. Once they are bred and grown, it can be very difficult to stop the damage caused by them.
Ekkssss! Get thee away from me!!!!
Many people have the misconception that the danger spots for breeding mosquitoes are only outside of their homes in drains and construction sites, but statistics have shown that majority of the dengue cases happened within the homes. When there are areas and corners in our homes that we neglect to check regularly, they become potential breeding ground for the Aedes mosquitoes. Therefore, to stop dengue fevers from escalating in numbers, prevention must start from the homes.
Credit: NEA website http://www.dengue.gov.sg/subject.asp?id=100
Let us not be complacent and think that dengue fever will never happen to any one of us. Starting from today, do the 5-step mozzie wipeout - It takes no more than 10 minutes, and you can have a peace of mind knowing your home is safe.
After the event, I have definitely become more aware of the dangers of dengue, and will take steps to make sure my home is free from all the potential dangers. As a parent, it is my priority that my kids are well-protected and can grow up in a safe environment. I believe all parents would echo my sentiments. To learn more about dengue and how you can prevent it, check out the official website here.
Let us all do our part in this fight against dengue! Start today. For the latest updates on the dengue situation in Singapore, join me as a fan of the Stop Dengue Now FB Page.
