The blog of the Doctors from Madurai Medical College - 1973 Batch-mates

Friday, August 17, 2012

Community participation in Dengue prevention


We read about the FAQs about Dengue prevention in the previously posted article. Community participation is the best and the foremost one in bringing down the Dengue incidence to zero/ providing and maintaining its totally prevented status - no Dengue in the community!  What is the sensible and active participation of entire community in the prevention of Dengue fever?

Awareness:
First the community must be aware of Dengue fever itself and the Aedes mosquitoes that spread it - Health Inspectors and Health Nurses provide IEC (Information, Education & Communication) to people to be aware of them.

Demanding fogging:
In case if mosquitoes are found in their locality, the community people must demand the health authourities to spray insecticide-fog to kill the mosquitoes. If this fogging is also started again just before any raining and repeated on the 7th day following the first one, it protects them not only from mosquito bites but also from Dengue fever.

Destroying breeding places:
They must cooperate with health staff in avoiding mosquito breeding in low level area where water collects to breed mosquitoes, by draining the stagnant water safely and leveling the ground with sand. They should also identify the locations both inside and nearby their houses where mosquito larvae can breed  in water collections - of such as water pots, flower pots, coconut shells. These containers must be periodically emptied or removed from the site. 

Killing larvae:
They must keep all the stored water containers covered and also allow health staff to add anti-larval liquid to the water stored to kill the larva. Health staff shall repeat this later on the 7th day. They can also breed fish in ponds that feast on the mosquito larvae.

Personal protection:
People shall cover their exposed body parts or apply mosquito repellant and sleep under medicated mosquito net to get ultimate protection from Dengue fever.

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