This is the life cycle of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. To prevent dengue fever, you must prevent the breeding of its carrier, the Aedes mosquitoes. Aedes mosquitoes are identified by the black and white stripes on their body. You can get rid of the Aedes mosquito by frequently checking and removing stagnant water in your home.
Therefore we must destroy the sources of the transmission of the virus the mosquito.
Firstly, we must prevent the mosquito from breeding as there will be more offspring to infect people. The mosquito lays the eggs in stagnant water, a 20cent coin height of water is enough for the mosquito to lay its egg and to grow into larva. Hence we can remove the stagnant water or we can put a layer of oil on the surface to kill the larva as there is no oxygen due to the oil.
Secondly, if you have been noticing every 2 weeks or 1 month there are people spraying insecticide to kill the mosquitoes present in the neighborhood. We can also protect ourselves by putting mosquito screen over our bed when we are sleeping.
Here are some interest facts about the aedes aegypti mosquito.
Fast facts about the mosquito
•Only the female aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.
•The mosquito becomes infective approximately 7 days after it has bitten a person carrying the virus. This is the extrinsic incubation period, during which time the virus replicates in the mosquito and reaches the salivary glands.
•Peak biting is at dawn and dusk.
•The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in Nature is 2 weeks
•The mosquito can lay eggs about 3 times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time.
•The eggs can lie dormant in dry conditions for up to about 9 months, after which they can hatch if exposed to favourable conditions, i.e. water and food
Finally here is a video to create awareness about the Dengue fever which is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito. Now sit back and enjoy…
http://www.dengue.gov.sg/images/materials/aedes.wmv
By Amas Goh
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