Mosquito-borne diseases
We really need to take the scourge of mosquitoes seriously. If Malaria cases are on the rise in Palawan, Dengue is now a problem in Cavite and Marikina. The number of cases in both places have tripled this year as compared to the same period last year. Cavite has declared a state of calamity due to the number of cases and the lack of facilities to treat the afflicted. The declaration frees funds to helping treating the sick and curbing the spread.
Again, having clean surroundings cannot be stressed enough when it comes to controlling mosquito population. Mosquitoes need water, stagnant water, in order to lay their eggs. As little as water in a bottle cap is enough for a female to lay its eggs. With rains recently occurring in the afternoons, their breeding grounds are established. Which is why all water containers or objects that can hold water such as drums, old tires, flower pots and even open water bottles must be covered. Places where stagnant water is present must be cleaned or swept away clean. Mosquitoes normally avoid daylight, so dark places such as makeshift junk piles or storage areas should be treated with insecticide. The Aedes Aegypti is a day-biting mosquito, which makes it even harder to eradicate. But if their breeding grounds can be eliminated, their numbers will diminish.
The rising cases of both Malaria and Dengue only highlights the lack of medical facilities to treat the sick. With a population of practically one hundred million Filipinos, there just aren't enough government hospitals to accommodate patients. Malaria and Dengue both require strict monitoring of the patient in order to quickly identify life-threatening complications. In Cavite, makeshift rooms had to be created to treat patients that needed to be admitted. Even chapels and hallways had to be utilized.
We really should learn by now that when the rains come, mosquito-borne diseases such as Malaria and Dengue become prevalent. I would think that the yearly wet season that the country experiences would have taught us to prepare for Dengue season at the very least. The idea is to stop the carrier of the disease by preventing the uncontrolled breeding. We may be experiencing a fierce El Niño season, but obviously it has not affected the high number of Dengue cases. Mosquitoes have always been a scourge to man. Even with today's technology, the pest still manages to thrive and create misery for millions. If only there was a way to eradicate the species forever, along with some other pests.
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