By Chit Ko Pe

WHEN nightfall sets in, there is a buzzing whine here and there. The tone is soft, but it is annoying and terrifying. How pesky it is!

Given the clues of protective measures taken around the house, one can tell that it is none other than the mosquito. Mosquito-proof screen shields at windows and doors, mosquito nets in bed, mosquito sprays and mosquito repellent coils are to name a few. They stand essential to keep mosquitos at bay.

A mosquito bite is a tiny red spot on the skin but belies a viral infection in the body through the bloodstream. A few days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, the person experiences some symptoms of fever, nausea, vomit, rash, headache, eye pain, joint and muscle pain before developing into a dengue disease. Though most cases are regarded as mild, some severe cases are found serious and lethal among children with initial symptoms of bleeding from the nose, mouth and gums. Some bruises on the skin signify internal bleeding. The disease is named dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). The patient’s worse conditions can develop into dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

In this monsoon season in Myanmar, the period from July to August is notoriously noted for peak transmission of dengue. Yes, dengue disease is an a-yearround risk for people living here. Other parts of the world are not spared, too. The report posted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 10 January 2022 reads: “The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically with about half of the world’s population now at risk. Although an estimated 100-400 million infections occur each year, over 80 per cent are generally mild and asymptomatic.”

 As long as health is concerned, people are used to saying: “Prevention is better than cure”. I observe that the said phrase misses out a chronological word between the ones -“prevention” and “cure”. It is “protection”. “Cure” is the last attempt in a health management system. In a safety context, “prevention” is used to describe a precautionary measure against the hazard, and “protection” against risk respectively. And so is the “cure” for disease. Prevention precedes protection. Protection precedes cure. Why not, let’s set our minds on prevention first to deter any chance of trouble at its very inception. So, it is the hazard of mosquito breeding that our consideration is drawn first, followed by the risk of human flesh bleeding.

Breeding

The life cycle of a mosquito has four stages namely egg, larva, pupa and adult. From egg to adult, it takes about 7 days. To lay eggs, female adult mosquitos prefer stagnant and still, water that is usually found in stormwater drains, flower-plant pots, vases, buckets, discarded containers, blocked gutters, used tyres, etc. Generally, mosquitos prefer to dwell in cool, dark and humid places like desolate corners at home and shady foliage in a garden.

Prevention against breeding

• Dispose of solid waste properly

• Remove stagnant water from the ground depression

• Get domestic water storage containers covered, emptied and cleaned daily

• Change fresh water in the vases daily

• Apply insecticides on the depressed ground, storm water drains and bushes

• Engage a pest control service provider to destroy mosquito habitats if found

Bleeding

Only female mosquitos suck blood that produces a protein to mature their eggs. When an infected female mosquito bites for its blood meal, the bitten person gets the virus through its saliva left on his or her flesh. It is learnt that a female mosquito is attracted for its blood meal by body odour, carbon dioxide, and heat emitted. As mentioned above, severe dengue fever can cause bleeding internally and/or externally.

Protection against bleeding

• Install window screens

• Spray mosquito repellent liquid on the body

• Burn mosquito repellent coils or heat up mosquito repellent vaporizers

• Keep personal hygiene

• Stay in an illuminated and ventilated area

• Wear full clothing that minimizes skin exposure to mosquitoes

• Set up a mosquito net in the bed

Cure

It is in the hands of medical doctors. To date, there is neither a curable vaccine nor specific treatment available for dengue fever. Supportive care serves as a sole option with the intake of fever reducers and pain killers to control the symptoms of muscle aches and pains, and fever.

So, it boils down to the root cause of mosquito breeding that needs to be prevented to get us protected from bleeding.