Impact of a short-term community-based cleanliness campaign on the sources of dengue vectors: an entomological and human behavior study.* Dengue dengue or breakbone fever or dandy fever Infectious, disabling mosquito-borne fever. Other symptoms include extreme joint pain and stiffness, intense pain behind the eyes, a return of fever after brief pause, and a characteristic rash. is a mosquito-borne viral disease. * It is endemic in over 100 countries of Africa, America, Asia, and the Western Pacific. * The causative agents are four closely related, but antigenically distinct, virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4) of the genus Flavivirus. * Their principal vector is the mosquito Aedes aegypti. * Dengue has two clinical forms: 1. dengue fever dengue fever (dĕng`gē, –gā), acute infectious disease caused by four closely related viruses and transmitted by the bite of the Aedes mosquito; it is also known as breakbone fever and bone-crusher disease. and 2. dengue hemorrhagic fever hemorrhagic fever (hĕm'ərăj`ĭk), any of a group of viral diseases characterized by sudden onset, muscle and joint pain, fever, bleeding, and shock from loss of blood. . * The manifestations range from a nonspecific nonspecific /non·spe·cif·ic/ (non?spi-sif´ik) 1. not due to any single known cause. 2. not directed against a particular agent, but rather having a general effect. nonspecific 1. viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic Hemorrhagic A condition resulting in massive, difficult-to-control bleeding. Mentioned in: Hantavirus Infections hemorrhagic pertaining to or characterized by hemorrhage. disease. * There is no specific management for dengue infection: * Vaccines remain commercially unavailable. * Vector control Vector control is any method to limit or eradicate the vectors of vector born diseases, for which the pathogen (e.g. virusor parasite) is transmitted by a vector which can be mammals, birds or arthropods, especially insects, and more specifically mosquitoes. is considered the only strategy for controlling the disease. * A long-term community-based control project may not however, be feasible when a sudden onset of epidemics occurs in highly populated urban areas. * In June 2002, a considerable number of cases of dengue fever/dengue hemorrhage fever were reported in South Taiwan. * The government conducted a weeklong community-based cleanliness campaign. * The study reported here evaluated the effectiveness of the campaign. * The prevalence of dengue vectors was evaluated according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. changes in the ovitrap index. * This index significantly decreased, from 66.7 percent before the campaign to 39.3 percent three months later. * Human knowledge and behavior were investigated by a survey questionnaire. * Before the campaign, only 57.4 percent of respondents knew that the dengue vector breeds in clean water. * After the campaign, this percentage significantly increased, to 88.4 percent. * The percentage of those properly handling containers also significantly increased. * Thus, short-term community-based cleanliness educational programs may change behavior. * Changes in behavior may help eliminate container habitats of the dengue vectors. * In turn, the ovitrap index is reduced. * This control strategy is a feasible alternative for rapid reduction of dengue vector sources urban areas, especially at the onset of a new epidemic. |
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