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PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of the dengue viruses. People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue, a year-round disease, is more common during rainy days when there are more potential breeding sites for the female mosquitoes that can transmit the disease to humans. The egg has a thick shell or exochorion that allows it to survive for up to four months even under dry conditions.
As compared to the previous years, the number of dengue cases for 2010 increased by almost 100 percent. This prompted the DOH to declare a nationwide epidemic. The Zamboanga Peninsula region recorded a total of 4,686 cases of dengue in 2010, of which about 70% of the patients are from Zamboanga City.
Cognizant of the alarming issue nationwide, the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) initiated a research / study on trapping mosquito through the Ovicidal-Larvicidal (OL) Trap System. The DOST’s OL Trap System was found to be effective during its field testing in Quezon City and Marikina City which was held during the last quarter of 2010. The simple device helps reduce the number of the dengue-carrying female Aedes aegypti mosquito by attracting mosquitoes and killing their eggs trapped in the kit. It is made of pellets diluted in tap water inside a black plastic cup with an ice drop lawanit stick for mixing the substance.
As an offshoot of the study, the DOST in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) will distribute 200,000 OLTrap kits nationwide. Each region will receive 11,200 OL Traps to cover 2,800 households. The NCR which will receive 20,800 OL Traps for 5,200 households because of the higher number of dengue cases in the area.
The study will provide awareness to the public about the dengue-carrying mosquito. It is expected to help decrease the number of dengue cases nationwide, particularly in the selected areas.
Objectives:
Generally, the project is aimed at reducing the number of dengue cases on the selected areas in the region.
Specifically, it aims to
• provide awareness to the public about the dengue-carrying mosquito;
• reduce Aedes aegypti mosquito population
• reduce transmission of dengue virus.
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