THE PROVINCIAL government of Iloilo and the Department of Education recently spearheaded a synchronized school cleanup against dengue mosquitoes. “Brigada Kontra Dengue” involved parents, teachers, barangay officials, and school alumni, among others.
To be effective, the school-based cleanup must be done regularly, and consistently. This makes sense because students are dengue-vulnerable.
Schools – and the larger community – should go all-out for source elimination to beat the dengue outbreak. We surely can reduce, if not wipe out, dengue by eliminating all possible breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the dengue vector that breeds in clean standing water, particularly in places where water collects and where there is poor drainage and sanitation.
Anyone can help by observing, for example, the following simple but effective steps: Cover water buckets, barrels and tanks with lids. Empty and clean water containers thoroughly once a week. Replace water in flower vases weekly. Clear rain gutters of leaves and other debris. Puncture or cut old rubber tires used as roof support. Remove trash that can collect and hold water. Easy, right?
We must also emphasize proper management of 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 mosquito breeding sites. Dry leaves, twigs and mixed trash should not be burned as this will not kill dengue-carrying mosquitoes but only emit health-damaging pollutants. Reduce, reuse and recycle your discards instead.
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. Community and school storage facilities for recyclables should be spick-and-span and protected against rain and waste water as they should be.
Let us be reminded of proper land management, too, to prevent water from collecting, making sure that pits are filled, drains around taps and wells are running, and canals and esteros are garbage-free and flowing.
Community-based mosquito surveillance and control, including the enforcement of ecological solid waste management, is a basic element in winning our battle against this health and mortality threat.
