Prevention of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever Through Controlling of the vector

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is an infectious disease caused by the Dengue virus and transmitted through the bite of the Aedes sp. This disease is spread throughout the world, especially in the tropics country. At this time there is no effective antiviral drug to kill Dengue virus, while a vaccine to prevent this disease is also not yet available because it is still at the research stage. The only recommended prevention method that has been done so far is by controlling the vector, namely Aedes sp. mosquitoes. The main vector of DHF in Indonesia is Aedes aegypti and the other vector is Aedes albopictus. To be able to take good precautions especially in controlling mosquitoes must be known the complete nature of the vector. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are diurnal mosquitoes which means they prefer to bite humans during the day. Both of these mosquito species like to breed in clear water, where Aedes aegypti breed in containers containing water that is man-made containers like: bathtubs, buckets, old tires, cans, flower vases, bird drinking places and others , while Aedes albopictus likes to breed outdoors such as holes in trees, coconut shells, former pieces of bamboo trees that hold water and also other places that hold water. To be able to produce eggs, female mosquitoes need blood so that female mosquitoes will bite and eat human blood. Female mosquitoes that are gravid and full of blood will find a place to lay their eggs on the wall of the container that contains water or on the wall of the container that will later contain water. Unlike other mosquitoes, the Aedes mosquito eggs are resistant to drought. Eggs that are exposed to water will hatch within 1-3 days and then larvae will develop which will develop from instar 1 to instar 4. Before becoming an adult mosquito, the larvae will develop into pupae and this phase takes 2 to 3 days. Armed with the knowledge of the life cycle of mosquitoes and mosquito habits, the prevention that can be done is to dry breeding places from Aedes mosquitoes by draining and brushing container walls. For places that cannot be drained, can be reached by closing a place that contains water such as a water barrel or a dug well. Used items that can hold water should be removed or reused and try not to collect rainwater during the rainy season. Holes in trees that during the rainy season can hold water can be filled with soil or sand. The activity is known as 3M (Drain, Cover and Bury). Additional things that can be done are giving temephos powder to the breeding ground, avoiding mosquito bites during the day by using repelent, eliminating mosquitoes from resting in the house such as not hanging used clothes and giving fish to water plant pots. Although these efforts have been carried out there are still other opportunities that are often forgotten that can be used as a breeding places for Aedes Sp. mosquitoes, one of which is a tunnel (dug well) and also a septic tank from a toilet. Tunnel according to some studies may be a breeding ground for Aedes Sp mosquitoes, especially shallow ones. Digging wells whose water is routinely taken by scavenging is not possible to do 3 M. If the water of the dug wells are not to be drunk, it can be add fish for eat larvae. Dug wells are tightly closed so that mosquitoes do not have an entrance to lay their eggs. Septic tanks can also be used as a breeding place for Aedes Sp mosquitoes because eggs laid by female mosquitoes in the walls of the toilet can drift into the septic tank and can breed there. Adult mosquitoes born in cesspools will come out through the air passages from cesspools so as to prevent them, a filter can be filled in the mouth where the cesspools come out. Thus in brief how to prevent Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever based on its vector.