Places where mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever like to lay eggs right in your home

Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water from fire hydrants; in iron pipes attached to flagpoles; in flower vases that have been kept for 2 days or more… or even in a little stagnant water from a food can your child just threw out into the garden.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) said that dengue fever is still complicated and increasing in the South, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In Hanoi, during the week of July 24-30, the city continued to record 2,305 more cases of dengue fever. Since the beginning of 2017, Hanoi has recorded 8,982 cases, including 5 deaths.

These hydroponic pots of water lilies are very beautiful and charming in the house and the homeowner was surprised to learn that this is where dengue-carrying mosquitoes lay eggs. Photo: H. Hai

According to Dr. Phu, many people think that to prevent dengue fever, they need to kill mosquitoes, so they pay attention to spraying insecticide to prevent mosquito bites. But that is only the tip of the problem. Because a female mosquito infected with the virus can transmit the disease after 8-12 days after sucking blood and transmit the disease throughout its life cycle and transmit the virus to eggs; it can bite many people because it can fly within a range of 200m.

A mosquito lays about 100 - 200 eggs at a time, the eggs hatch into larvae, the larvae develop into mosquitoes. Therefore, if the mosquito eggs are not prevented, the number of mosquitoes will increase many times, and it will be impossible to kill them all.

"Therefore, the most basic measure to prevent dengue fever is to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs and larvae to prevent dengue fever," said Associate Professor Phu.

Associate Professor Phu added that when checking the dengue fever situation in Hanoi, many people were surprised by the mosquito larvae nests in and around their houses that they did not expect.

Aedes mosquitoes lay eggs and reproduce mainly in clean water containers in and around the house such as water tanks, jars, pots, urns, wells, tree holes, etc.

Therefore, objects and waste containing water such as flower vases, water bowls placed on the cupboard, stagnant water in broken tires left on the street, coconut shells, etc. are all favorite places for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

“We went to check in Hanoi, a very beautiful villa, around the house on the fences were many half-cut yellow cans with beautiful hanging strips of marigolds but they were nests of mosquito larvae, when looked into they were swarming. 200 eggs laid 200 mosquito larvae, developing into mosquitoes, how can we kill them all”, Associate Professor Phu said.

More than 10 jars of water mimosa were decorated like this at a spa in Hanoi. When reporters shared about the mosquito larvae, the owner noticed them and promised to change the water every day. Photo: H. Hai

Mosquito larvae are everywhere around your house. Mosquitoes can lay eggs in a vase if the water is not changed for 2 days; in the cracks of the plastic lid of the water tank in the yard; in outdoor flower vases on altars, in temples; a normal fire extinguisher filled with sand, with a layer of water on top, also has mosquito larvae; a water pipe placed on the wall to hold a flag, when pulled out, there are mosquito larvae inside; mosquito larvae in tires, coconut shells...

In urban areas, items thrown away in the interspersed areas such as rice boxes when it rains and stagnant water is also a favorable environment for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

“Even water tanks stored on high floors of households, when the wind blows open the lid, will be an ideal environment for mosquitoes to lay eggs.”

Therefore, to prevent dengue fever, each person should be aware and pay attention to objects around the house that may contain stagnant water to clean them up. Because mosquito larvae live right in people's houses, if people themselves are not aware of cleaning, it will be very difficult to prevent dengue fever.

Accordingly, weekly measures to kill mosquito larvae/wrigglers should be taken by releasing fish into large water containers; washing medium and small water containers, turning over containers that do not contain water; changing the water in flower vases/vases; adding salt or oil to bowls of water placed on the cupboard legs. Eliminate waste materials, natural water holes that do not allow mosquitoes to lay eggs such as bottles, jars, broken glass, coconut shells, broken jars, old tires/vehicle tires, bamboo holes, leaf sheaths... to prevent mosquitoes from having a place to lay eggs, without mosquito larvae, there will be no more dengue fever.

According to Dantri