Those Pesky Mosquitoes!

It's rainy season once again and expect that those pesky mosquitoes are out on the loose to attack us again. Grrrr.... Been scratching and slapping yet? Well, I really, really hate mosquitoes. And who doesn't? They are the carriers of diseases like malaria, filaria, brain fever, yellow fever and the dengue fever. As of now, dengue fever cases are on the rise here in the Philippines.

Do you know that dengue carrier mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) bite during daytime? It is considered a domestic mosquito as it lives in close association with humans, breeding in artificial containers around houses and it is responsible for the majority of dengue transmission. and only female mosquitoes bite, requiring the blood for egg production, and therefore only female mosquitoes transmit pathogens. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite people who are sick with dengue. So, to prevent mosquito bites,  the best methods are as follows:

1. One must wear long pants
2. Use mosquito repellants with at least 10% concentration of DEET
3. Use mosquito traps and nets
4. Avoid wearing heavily scented soaps and perfumes
5. Use structural barriers, such as window screens or netting
6. Try to avoid being outside at dawn, dusk and early evening
7. The Aedes mosquito prefers to breed in clean, stagnant water. It is important to frequently check and remove stagnant water in your home/premises.
8. Tawa Tawa might help. Locally, many are using Tawa Tawa or Gatas Gatas (Euphorbia hirta) plants to treat dengue.

Here's how to prepare tawa-tawa herbal medicine:
Take 5 to 6 full whole Tawa Tawa plants
•Cut off the roots
•Wash and clean
•Fill a boiling pot with clean water
•Boil the Tawa Tawa for 1 (one) minute in a slow rolling boil
•Pour the Tawa Tawa water and let cool
•Let the dengue fever victim drink only the Tawa Tawa water for 24 hours
•Sip 1 to 1.5 glasses of Tawa Tawa water every hour

However, the Department of Health (DOH) advises the public not to be so much dependent on the said herbal medicine, despite its proven efficacy. Cleaning possible dwelling places of mosquitoes is still the best way to prevent dengue outbreaks. After all, "prevention is still better than cure."