Know more about Dengue Mosquito
How can I tell if it’s a dengue mosquito?
The dengue mosquito looks like many other mosquitoes so it is difficult for the layperson to identify. As a rule of thumb, if you have mosquitoes biting you
indoors during the day, it is likely that they are dengue mosquitoes.
The dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti) can more readily be identified by its behavior. Look for these signs:
- It likes to live indoors and bite people indoors
- It is hard to catch; it moves very quickly, darting back and forth
- It likes to hide under furniture and bite people around the feet and ankles
- Its bite is often relatively painless, so people may not notice they are being bitten.
The adult mosquito prefers to rest in dark areas inside and under houses and buildings. Favorite resting spots are under beds, tables and chairs; in wardrobes and closets; on piles of dirty laundry and shoes; inside open containers; in dark and quiet rooms; and even on dark objects such as clothing or furniture.
The dengue mosquito prefers to bite humans at dusk and at dawn (4-6 am & 4-6 pm). It is very cautious when biting, flying away quickly at the slightest disturbance. An effective way to kill adult mosquitoes is to apply a residual insecticide onto the areas where they prefer to rest.
Where are the dengue mosquito breeding sites?
The dengue mosquito frequents backyards in search of containers holding water inside and outside the home, such as:
- cans
- buckets
- jars
- vases
- pot plant dishes
- tires – discarded with no rims
- roof gutters blocked by leaves
- tarpaulins and black plastic.
It can also breed in natural containers like:
- bromeliads
- fallen palm fronds.
The dengue mosquito does not fly very far, so if you get rid of mosquito breeding sites around your home, you will significantly reduce your risk of being bitten by dengue mosquitoes.
How to eliminate the larvae?
- Pure sea water kills larva in 2-4 hours
- 50% sea water kills larva in 24 hours
- Soap causes drowning by preventing larva to obtain air
- Oil kills by asphyxiation by the film formed cuts contact with the air
How do dengue mosquitoes transmit dengue?
Dengue mosquitoes are common but usually do not carry dengue. A female mosquito can only become infected with dengue after biting an infected human who is viraemic with dengue (ie. there are enough dengue virus particles in the person’s blood to infect a mosquito).
An infected person can transmit dengue to mosquitoes at home, at work or anywhere they visit. This can happen within 3-4 days of being bitten and can continue to do so up to 12 days.
Dengue is not spread directly from person to person.
In 8-10 days the infected mosquito is able to transmit the virus to other people. Thus the cycle of transmission takes only 14 days. One dengue-infected female mosquito is capable of biting and infecting several people during one feeding session.
Dengue Control
Everyone’s concern: The success depends upon the involvement of all levels from
- Household and family
- Community
- NGOs, social organizations
- Local & national authorities
Get rid of mosquito breeding sites. Help clean our community.
