Prevention of Mosquito-borne Diseases

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Prevention of Mosquito-borne Diseases
Central Health Education Unit June 2007
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Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases

• Work of the Government
• To prevent mosquito-borne diseases effectively
  relies on the support and co-operation of both
  public and private sectors with the government.

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Work of the Government

• Publicity and Health Education
• Provide health education on personal protection
  against mosquito-borne diseases for general
  public.
• Publicize personal protection against
  mosquito-borne diseases for travellers.
• Latest updates on dengue fever for healthcare
  workers through periodicals, mails and internet.

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Disease surveillance

• Dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and Malaria
  have been brought into one of the statutory
  notifiable diseases.
• web-based Central Notification Office (CENO
  On-line)

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Disease surveillance

• Contact tracing, epidemiological investigations
  on disease outbreaks.
• Liaise with relevant department, e.g. Food and
  Environmental Department for following up control
  measures.
• Collaborate with other departments and Hospital
  Authority in formulating response measures to
  prevent local spread of Dengue fever.

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Disease surveillance

• Maintain close liaison with nearby regions and
  oversea countries.
• Make announcement to general public on reported
  cases and disease situation of nearby regions and
  remind public of preventive measures.

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Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases

• Personal Protection

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Personal Protection

• The best protection is to avoid being
• bitten by mosquitoes by paying
• attention to the following
• Avoid staying in dark, outdoor
• places such as brushwood, pavilions,
• or the shade of a tree during the
• hours when Aedes albopictus is
• active.

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Personal Protection

• Avoid going out in the hours when Aedes
  albopicuts feed or wear light-coloured,
  long-sleeves clothing and trousers.

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Personal Protection

• Install mosquito nets to doors and windows so
  that mosquitoes cant get in.

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Personal Protection

• Accommodation should have air-conditioners or
  mosquito nets
• Hang mosquito screens around your bed
• Use of mosquito coil

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Personal Protection Choosing the insect
repellents

• DEET containing products, such as repellents,
  anti-mosquito patches and spray are generally
  most effective to avoid mosquito bites.
• Citronella, Soybean oil and 3-N-Butyl-N-acetyl-a
  minopropionic acid containing products also have
  mosquito repellent effects.
• Portable ultrasonic devices are less reliable
  when compared with DEET.

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Safety tips on using repellents that contain DEET
(1)

• Avoid applying high DEET
• concentration products (i.e. gt35)
• Always read and follow the
• instruction label carefully
• before using repellents.

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Safety tips on using repellents that contain
DEET (2)

• As rare reports about application of repellents
  with DEET associated with seizures in young
  children, therefore the low concentration product
  (10 DEET) should be used on children.
• DEET is not recommended for use on infants less
  than 2 months of age. They should use mosquito
  net for health protection (e.g. infant carrier
  draped with elastic edge mosquito net).

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Safety tips on using repellents that contain DEET
(3)

• Never use repellents over wounds or irritated
  skin.
• Apply the repellent on exposed skin surfaces
  only
• or on top of clothing. Do not use under
  clothing.
• Do not attach the anti-mosquito patches
  directly
• on the skin if it is specifically for clothing.
• Wash repellent-treated skin with soap and water
• when you come indoors.
• When using sprays, do not spray directly on face
  
• spray on hands first and then apply to face. Do
  
• not apply to eyes or mouth.

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Prevention of mosquito-borne diseases
Elimination of Mosquitoes

• The most effective way to eliminate mosquitoes
  is to
• Keep the environment clean.
• Remove stagnant water so that mosquitoes cant
  breed.

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Possible Breeding Grounds of Aedes Albopictus (1)
Artificial containers Vases, saucers
underneath flower pots, trays underneath
air-conditioners, buckets jars and jugs of
earthenware, cement troughs, dumped tyres and
solid wastes such as cans, disposable cups and
bowls, and plastic bags.
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Possible Breeding Grounds of Aedes Albopictus (2)
Natural containers The hollow space inside a
bamboo, hollows of a tree and the rachis of a
leaf.
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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• Cover water containers
• tightly so that
• mosquitoes cant get in
• to lay eggs.

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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• Dispose of domestic wastes, empty bottles, cans
  and lunch boxes properly into a covered bin to
  prevent the accumulation of stagnant water.

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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• Change water for vases
• and aquatic plants at
• least once a week,
• leaving no water under
• the pots or in the
• bottom saucers.
• Scrub the container
• surfaces thoroughly to
• prevent mosquito eggs
• sticking on them.

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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• Remove or puncture any dumped tyres to prevent
  the accumulation of stagnant water.

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Elimination of Mosquitoes
Keep ditches free from blockage.
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Elimination of Mosquitoes
Fill up uneven ground surfaces to prevent the
accumulation of stagnant water.
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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• Remove stagnant water immediately if mosquitoes
  are found to be breeding. Use environmentally
  friendly insecticides such as lavicidal oil if
  necessary.

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Elimination of Mosquitoes

• In cultivation ponds, water tanks or large
  containers, biological controls such as keeping
  fishes to eat mosquito larvae would be a good
  option.

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Mosquito Elimination Checklist (1)

• Are containers and other items where water could
  accumulate disposed of properly? (For example,
  throwing empty cans, foam rubber boxes, cups and
  bottles into a covered bin)
• Are water containers covered properly?

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Mosquito Elimination Checklist (2)

• Are ditches free from blockage?
• Are containers with stagnant water cleaned
  regularly?(For example, vases, saucers underneath
  flower pots, water storage device of an
  air-conditioner, water tanks and pools)
• Are uneven ground surfaces filled to prevent the
  accumulation of stagnant water?

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Seek medical consultation immediately

• Having been bitten by a
• mosquito and displaying
• symptoms afterwards
• Falling ill, especially having
• a fever within one month
• after you have returned
• from abroad

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Enquiries/Websites

• Centre for Health Protection,
• Department of Health (www.chp.gov.hk)
• Hong Kong Travellers Health Service, Department
  of Health (www.travelhealth.gov.hk/eindex.html)
• 24-Hour Health Education Hotline, Department of
  Health (2833 0111)
• Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Hotline
  2868 0000
• Website www.fehd.gov.hk

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Elimination of mosquito is the most effective
prevention strategy
Lets remove stagnant water and eliminate
mosquitoes
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Thank You!