Medical experts have advised citizens to take special preventive measures to protect themselves from dengue virus. According to them, people should properly dispose off solid waste and stop water storage practices in their homes to prevent access to egg-laying female mosquitoes. They said mosquitoes breed primarily in containers like earthenware jars, metal drums and concrete cisterns used for domestic water storage, as well as discarded plastic food containers, used automobile tires and other items that collect rain water. Dr Sharif Astori of the Federal Government Poly Clinic (FGPC) told APP that dengue was a mosquito-borne infection, which in recent years had become a major public health concern. He said dengue fever was a severe, flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults. He added that the spread of dengue is attributed to expanding geographic distribution of the four dengue viruses and of their mosquito vectors, the most important of which is the predominantly urban species aedes aegypti. He said the rapid growth of urban population was bringing ever greater numbers of people into contact with this vector, especially in areas that were favourable for mosquito breeding like where household water storage is common and where solid waste disposal services are inadequate. Dr Astori said dengue viruses were transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female aedes mosquitoes. He added that mosquitoes generally acquire the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person. He stated that after virus incubation for eight to ten days, an infected mosquito was capable, during probing and blood feeding, of transmitting the virus to susceptible individuals for the rest of its life. He said the virus circulated in the blood of infected humans for two to seven days, approximately the same time they suffer from fever. He added the clinical features of dengue fever varied according to the age of the patient.
Doctors urge for adopting dengue preventive measures
