To shoo away dengue-causing mosquitoes especially when the rains come falling, destroy the breeding sites now while the sun is at its hottest.
This is according to Dr. Frances Edillo of the University of San Carlos, based on a 2012 study showing that the month of April registered the highest minimum infection rate of Aedes aegypti, the more common carrier of the dengue virus in the country.
This came after a major finding that mother Aedes mosquitoes transmit the dengue virus to their offsprings. Thus if the larvae and pupae infected with dengue virus survive summer and become mosquitoes in the following rainy season, these mosquitoes could set off an epidemic among humans, Edillo explained.
The study was done in four sites within Cebu City where Edillo’s research team observed a low number of dengue cases during dry season, but the cases hike during the rainy season.
The research team used Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a technique for making multiple copies of a gene from a sample DNA. Using the technique, the team found from the samples three of the four dengue serotypes, namely DENV-1, DENV-3, and DENV-4.
Edillo revealed her team’s findings during the 32nd anniversary celebration of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).
