Around the world, mosquitoes have traditionally been feared for the capability of carrying and spreading malaria, but there is a new disease growing: Dengue Fever. Dengue is easily spread because as much as 75% of those infected will show no symptoms but are still able to spread it through subsequent bites. It has a low mortality rate, even among those with severe symptoms.
The carrier of Dengue, The Aedes Mosquito, doesn’t carry malaria but is one of the toughest mosquitoes known to man. They are attracted to urban areas with high populations and warm climates and are most active during the day, making them harder to avoid. In heavily infected regions the best thing to do is vigilantly check your house and yard for standing water and dump it out.
What Does This Mean For You?
Mosquitoes breed in water and getting rid of breeding areas will help keep them off your property. Duane Gubler, professor of Infectious Diseases at Duke University Medical School, Singapore, emphasizes that transmission prevention is the best way to counteract the disease. Others look to increasing partnerships with pesticide manufacturers to target this specific mosquito and the introduction of sterilized male mosquitoes to prevent breeding.
Currently, six vaccines are in the clinical trial stage and Gubler anticipates that three will be licensed shortly. So far the vaccines have cut the occurrence of the virus by 61%. To read more about Dengue follow this link to the original article http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/01/health/dengue-fever-mosquito/index.html. Click the following link for more on Go-Forth's mosquito control.