Your Guide To The 3S Against Dengue

The media loves talking about an epidemic. While Dengue is not a common cause of death in India, it is an increasing cause of pain and suffering. Sufferers experience headache, nausea, vomiting, high fevers, pain all over, and sometimes a rash, or even cerebral edema and generalized collapse due to leaky capillaries.

The incidence of Dengue in India has gone up 25% since 2015! In fact, Dengue is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the world due to international travel and trade, global warming and profound human stupidity.

Here lies the problem: there are many mosquitoes in the tropics, and but only a few carry Dengue. The Aedes aegypti mosquito males are harmless lovers of fruit nectar. It is the female who is hungry for blood, and she wants the blood to feed her eggs. She is very choosy. Aedes females only want human blood. They literally crave it. They utilise carbon dioxide detectors and human pheromones to search for people and feed on their blood. Therefore, they do not live in streams, estuaries, cattle ranges, or open spaces. They live inside our homes, in pet water dishes, toilets, under refrigerators, gutters, plastic bags, and any place inside or near a house where the water is relatively clean and close to humans. True, they may travel 2 or 3 kilometers to lay eggs, but they return to cozy headquarters near human beings.

What is crazy and stupid is that poorly informed people think that these mosquitos are like those on the Tundra in Alaska or in the pine forests in Northern Maine. No! These Aa mosquitos don’t live in estuaries or natural areas. They live right inside our homes.

Fortunately, it is not that hard with the 3S against Dengue:

1. Search & Destroy

It’s as simple as locating the source and destroying the mosquito’s habitat by doing the following:

1. Repair leaking taps and pipes

2. Cover dustbins at all times

3. Fill holes in trees with sand

4. Clean gutters regularly

5. Prevent mosquito breeding in car tyres

2. Self-Protection Measures

As the old saying goes — prevention is better than cure! Do the following to protect yourself and your loved ones:

1. Install high- quality mosquito screens on doors and windows

2. Apply mosquito repellents with DEET and follow the manufacturer’s instructions

3. Make the most of mosquito nets for sound sleep

4. Get yourself and your family insured against Dengue just in case!

3. Seek Early Consultation

Fever for two or more days along with skin rashes is a sure sign you need to visit a doctor. If your friend, family member or colleague is ignoring these symptoms — please force them to seek early consultation! In this case Dengue Insurance really does help — it shields one from the financial impact of sudden hospitilisation expenses.