TO KEEP the household and community environment free of dengue vectors, the public can do practical things. Check your backyard regularly for water-filled containers. Remove trash that can collect and hold water. Recycle or dispose of water-holding containers that are not needed.
Cover water buckets, drums, and tanks with lids. Empty and clean water containers thoroughly once a week. Change water in flower vases weekly. Remove water from plates under potted plants weekly. Clear rain gutters of leaves and other debris. Puncture or cut old rubber tires used as roof support.
To scare and get rid of mosquitoes at home, grow basil, catnip, citronella grass, garlic, lavender, lemongrass, marigolds, peppermint, rosemary, and other natural mosquito repellents.
In other words, to address the dengue scourge, ecological solid waste management is a practical strategy. Carelessly thrown plastic bags and bottles, polystyrene packaging, sachets, snack packs, empty bottles and cans, and other discards can gather and hold water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. It is thus very important to keep our discards properly sorted and managed.
Practicing this in every household and barangay will help a lot in depriving dengue mosquitoes with breeding spots. The dengue virus is transmitted by these day-biting mosquitoes that breed in clean standing water, especially in places where water collects and with poor drainage and sanitation.
Recyclables such as those stored in school, market and community materials recovery facilities should be kept dry and clean so as not to attract mosquitoes, as well as cockroaches and rats. Water storage containers, drums, pails, flower pots, plates under potted plants, cemetery vases, tin cans, tires, rain gutters, ornamental fountains, and other artificial or natural water containers that are within or near to places where people reside are natural breeding habitats for dengue mosquitoes.
