DENGUE cases in Iloilo province are increasing. But clearly, Dengvaxia vaccination is not the best solution to the spread. Source elimination is the better strategy – targeting the habitat of mosquito vectors of dengue that live and breed in clean, stagnant water.
The principle is simple enough: eliminate where these dengue mosquitoes abode and dengue cases would be minimized if not totally eliminated.
Local government units must be warned against harmful anti-dengue measures such as chemical fogging and spraying operations. The safety aspects of this strategy must be thoroughly studied.
We’ve been seeing well-meaning government personnel conducting fogging and spraying activities that have been proven ineffective in stopping the reproductive lifecycle of dengue mosquitoes. In fact, the Department of Health discourages indiscriminate fogging and only recommends it when there is an impending outbreak in potential hotspots as evaluated by health officers.
For the safety of sanitation workers and the community members at large, we urge the authorities to disseminate safety guidelines on the fogging and spraying of chemicals into the surroundings, giving due emphasis to essential precautions and safe alternatives.
In addition to being the least effective measure versus the dengue bane, we are also concerned over the potential harm that chemical fogging and spraying can cause to people, especially to young children and the elderly in densely populated places.
Another better strategy is properly managing common household and personal trash. Discarded glass and plastic bottles, tin cans, coconut shells, plastic bags, polystyrene containers, snack packs and sachets should not be simply thrown anywhere as these items can gather and hold water and turn into ugly breeding sites for mosquitoes.
The public should also pay attention to how recyclables are stored, ensuring that they are kept dry and clean so as not to attract mosquitoes, as well as roaches and rodents. In other words, ecological solid waste management as a practical strategy to address the dengue scourge.
