With dozens of people testing positive for dengue virus in the last week, the number of patients affected with the vector-borne disease in Jammu region has reached 88, raising the total number of infected to more than 300 since July this year.

According to news report of Daily Excelsior, as on today a total of 2076 patients have been tested for dengue out of which 350 cases have been found positive and reports of 1544 have been found negative while result of 182 samples are still awaited. “No death has been reported due to dengue so far”, as reported.
Elaborating more, news report also states that out of 350 dengue cases, maximum 297 have been reported in Jammu district followed 15 in Samba, 14 in Kathua, six each in Udhampur Doda and Rajouri districts, three in Poonch and one each in Ramban and Kishtwar districts.
They further revealed that out of these 350 dengue patients, 234 were adults (148 males and 86 females) and 116 were children (69 males and 47 females).

The disease takes on an epidemic form almost every year and creates panic among the public. Dengue is preventable and prevention is the first step in its management. Here is a lowdown on some characteristics of the dengue mosquito which make it difficult to control them:

1. No fuss breeding

The female dengue mosquito can lay eggs in any container which can hold some water. It can also lay eggs in the germ-ridden water of septic and toilet tanks. Hence, it is important to not let water stagnate anywhere and keep the surroundings clean. One should also make sure to close all containers that have water stored in them, scrub clean and turn over all containers like buckets/pans that have no lid. Disposable containers, bottles, food trays, used tyres must be disposed in covered trash bins. We also need to regularly inspect, drain and clean water coolers, pans under refrigerators and ACs. It is advisable to observe a dry day once a week.

2. Indoor mosquito

The dengue mosquito prefers to rest indoors as this protects them from climatic changes thereby increasing their life span. Thus, it is not enough to carry out fogging for mosquito control outside the house. People often shut their doors and windows to prevent the insecticide fog from entering their house and do not allow indoor spraying, which helps the mosquitoes survive.

3. Robust eggs

Aedesaegypti lays eggs on the sides of containers and these remain stuck to the surface like glue. The eggs can survive without water for almost a year and hatch as soon as they are submerged in water. The larvae that emerge from the eggs are also tough and can survive in water for a long time even if the temperature is unfavorable. This makes it more important to avoid water stagnation in any form.

4. Aggressive day time biter

Unlike malaria mosquitoes, dengue mosquitos bite during the day with their activity peaking at dawn and dusk. It is preferable to have all day protection. At home, you can try using natural mosquito repellents like citronella oil, lemon grass oil and neem oil or chemical repellents to keep mosquitoes away. Cover your exposed areas well. If you need to go out, make sure to wear full-sleeved clothing and apply a mosquito repellent cream. Insecticide treated bed nets which are used extensively in malaria control are not very effective in preventing dengue.

5. Stealth attacker and sip-feeder

The female mosquito bites from the back to avoid easy spotting. It bites on the elbows and ankles. The female dengue mosquito never sucks a stomach-full of blood at one go but darts from one person to another taking just a sip, till the dengue virus spreads to several people. After every meal, she lays a batch of 400 to 500 eggs, which happens about 5 times in her lifespan.The mosquito lays the eggs in a different place every time.

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6. Increase in incidence

Though the Aedes mosquito flies around and stays in a range of about 400 meters, international travel and trade has spread its activity and incidence across continents.Some studies also suggest that global warming and change in rainfall patterns have resulted in an increase of mosquito borne diseases like dengue and malaria in temperate climates.

7. Do we stand a chance against this canny mosquito

New and novel methods to combat dengue are being researched upon every day. Some examples include vaccines, release of sterile male mosquitoes, and a promising method which involves infecting the mosquito with a harmless natural bacterium called Wolbachia. This bacterium blocks the dengue virus from growing in the mosquito’s body. The government cannot employ enough persons to search every backyard to identify and destroy breeding sites on a consistent basis to prevent this mosquito from breeding. Therefore, as individuals and communities, we need to continue to put in all-out efforts to control this mosquito.