What is Dengue? - How to Protect your Family in the Tropics!

Mar 24

“It’s a Dengue Mum. A Dengue!!” shouts Josh on occasion when a big mozzie flies past us indoors.

I have to give him credit for his sharp observation skills and knowing about this mosquito-borne illness BUT I don't think he knows that not all Dengue mosquitoes carry the virus. SO, what is Dengue and how can you protect your family against it?

My Number 1 concern with Dengue is that at certain times of the year in the Far North we have outbreaks of the virus . All it takes is one person with dengue fever in your neighbourhood to be bitten by a dengue mosquito, and that mosquito can then infect other people with the virus.

You won’t find the Dengue mosquito in the Great Outdoors either. They thrive in the human environment - only breeding in urban environments and using human blood to produce their eggs. (See Dengue Facts at the end of this BlogPost for more information).

aedes-aegypti-James-Gathany-centres-for-Disease-Control-Prevention-1024x669.jpg

If you are unlucky enough to be bitten by a Dengue infected mosquito the symptoms normally take 3-14 days to occur. If you get bitten again by the mosquito Aedes aegypti during this time it may catch the virus and can then go on to infect other people. This is why it’s very important to see a doctor as soon as you feel unwell.

SO here’s why you don’t want to get Dengue:

1. The symptoms of Dengue Fever suck big time (it’s like malaria)

2. There’s a possibility you can pass on Dengue to others (via another mozzie bite)

The main precaution is of course to avoid getting bitten. If you do own a property in the Far North then a priority is to clean up any potential breeding sites during the wet season. Apart from that you’ll want to remain extra vigilant against letting any mosquitoes into your house.

Which brings me to the package I recently received in the mail from Mortein (perfect timing I thought!!). In it was Mortein NaturGard Auto Protect Indoor Odourless, Mortein NaturGard Auto Protect Outdoor Citronella, Mortein NaturGard Odourless Flying Insect Spray, AND Mortein Kill & Protect Surface Spray. Yep! A booty when it comes to protecting your family from bugs and critters in the Tropics!!

**Mortein Pest Control Products – up for grabs at the end of this Post!!!**

Recently I’ve been trialling these products to see how well they keep mozzies away from my family and I’d like to report that so far so good…..

Living in the tropics we eat outside at least 4-5 times a week and always have a mosquito coil burning underneath the table. Mozzies love hanging out in the dark area beneath our table and chomping on our ankles so the coil does a great job at stopping this.

**Dining Outdoors without the bugs thanks to Mortein NaturGard**

Now we’ve added the Mortein NaturGard to the wall near our outside dining area and its been helping protect us against the mozzies that occasionally bite us from above the table.

I was worried the smell of the Mortein NaturGard would be a little overwhelming during dinnertime (it emits a spray every 20 or 40 seconds) but the natural citronella smell hasn’t upset anyone as yet (and Josh, my 10 year old, is particularly sensitive to smells).

**It’s as simple as 1, 2 & 3 to get this up on your wall**

We chose not to use the indoor Mortein NuturGard in our house as its very open and we have 2 pet birds (a cockatiel and a budgerigar) that live indoors fulltime. Although the diffuser promises not to disperse more than a 3-4 second spray of regular flyspray over a 24 hour period it does recommend that you keep it away from pet sleeping areas. In our case it proved difficult in our household.

Instead we’ve been making use of the sprays that Mortein have provided us with. Both sprays are being used on a daily basis with good results.

The Mortein Surface Spray has been used in dark corners were the mozzies like to settle. Places such as our wardrobes, cupboards and underneath tables and desks seem to be best suited for this spray.

**Mortein Surface Spray is PERFECT for my ‘tidy’ office space!!!**

And the Mortein NaturGard spray is being used in our bedrooms 15-20 minutes before we go to bed, just in case a mozzie has settled in there and is interested in bugging us all night long. The good thing about this spray is it really does have minimal odour so the kids don't even notice when we finally entice them to bed.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of using chemicals on a 24/7 basis BUT when I’m faced with the potential threat of dengue I would choose chemicals over this virus any day. The good thing about these Mortein products is that they’re loaded with natural ingredients so I’ve felt happier using them over these past weeks, PLUS they’ve done an excellent job of keeping the mozzies at bay.

The Conclusion? - I’ll happily keep on using them to protect my family!!

DENGUE FACTS

What is Dengue?

Dengue is a disease that can make you very sick
Dengue Fever is transmittable via certain mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti)
This mosquito is found in many tropical countries around the world, including parts of Queensland

Where can you find Dengue mosquitoes?

Dengue mosquitoes only live and breed around your house and yard
They like to lay their eggs in pooled water in domestic environments
They don’t like to fly far (50-200 metres at the most)
They rest in dark areas inside and underneath houses (you’ll find them under beds, furniture, behind curtains etc)
They prefer to bite during daylight hours

What are the symptoms of Dengue fever?

sudden fever and extreme tiredness
intense headache (especially behind the eyes)
muscle and joint pain
loss of appetite
vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain
a metallic taste in the mouth
a red or macular (small, flat red spots) rash can occur

Ways to Protect you and your Family against Dengue

wear a good repellent (containing DEET or Picaridin) – particularly during daylight hours when the dengue mosquito is most active
ensure window and door screens are in good condition
use mosquito coils or plug-in mosquito repellent devices
use surface spray under and on the backs of furniture
wear long, loose clothing to help protect yourself from bite
AND, make sure you get rid of any mozzie breeding sites (containers that hold water) in your yard

For more information Click HERE for the Queensland Health webpage & HERE for the prevention info on Dengue Fever.

Are you concerned about Dengue where you live? What do you do to minimise the case of Dengue in your Household?

We received our Mortein Pest Control Pack complimentary BUT all views, opinions and photos in this article are my own.

UPDATES

Jan 2018: Researchers have infected some mozzies with wolbachia bacteria, which prevents them transmitting the disease. In 2011, these mozzies were released them into the wild, and the infection spread - the wolbachia infection rate in those populations is now 90-95%.And there's been no dengue transmission in those areas. Read more here >> Infected mozzies against dengue fever!or click for the HANDOUT.

Dec 2015: Read this article in the Cairns Post Scientists to sterilise Cairns mozzies with molecular “snip” - about a world-first experiment which will prevent male dengue mozzies fertilising females of the species.