According to the World Health Organization the best preventive measure for areas infested with Aedes mosquito is to eliminate the mosquitoes’ egg laying sites – called source reduction. Lowering the number of eggs, larvae and pupae will reduce the number of emerging adult mosquitoes and the transmission of the disease. Examples of the following habitats are listed:
Indoor
Ant traps
Flower vases and saucers
Water storage tank (domestic drinking water, bathroom, etc…)
Plastic containers
Bottles
Outdoor
Discarded bottles and tins
Discarded tyres
Artificial containers
Tree holes, potholes, construction sites
Drums for collecting rainwater
Shells, husks, pods from trees
Leaf axils of various plants
Boats, equipment
Items that collect rainwater or are used to store water should be covered or properly discarded. The remaining essential containers should be emptied and cleaned and scrubbed (to remove eggs) at least once a week. This will avoid the adult mosquitoes to emerge from the egg/ larva/ pupa stage.
In fact, the community participation is the key to dengue prevention. As every household aims to reduce vector density, the transmission rate will decrease or maybe even stop.
Courtesy of www.who.int