What disease does the Aedes mosquito carry and how do we prevent them?

Oman Thursday 24/March/2022 15:08 PM
By: Times News Service
What disease does the Aedes mosquito carry and how do we prevent them?
Ministry of Health

Muscat: The Ministry of Health has published about the 'Aedes aegypti' mosquito. Where they are found, the diseases they cause and ways to prevent them in the Sultanate of Oman.

Aedes aegypti mosquito is an insect which is active during the day time and reproduces when female mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnated water. It causes transmission of many diseases namely: yellow fever, zika and dengue fever which is a viral disease with symptoms such as: High grade fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, rash and pain in muscles and joints, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting and feeling ill overall.

Citizens and residents are urged to recognise and take corrective actions to prevent breeding of mosquitoes by:

- Evacuating water containers and brushing them every five days

- Proper covering of water tanks

- Getting rid of stagnated water

- Taking personal protective measures to avoid mosquito bites by wearing clothes that cover most of the exposed body

- Using mosquito repellents (according to manufacturer recommendation)

- Using window nets

- Using insecticide spray 

Health Ministry holds an emergency meeting to discuss spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito

Muscat: The Ministry of Health has held an emergency meeting of the National Committee for Integrated Management of Vector Control to discuss the emergency situation of the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the emergence of seven cases of dengue fever in the Wilayat of Baushar in the Governorate of Muscat.

 The emergency meeting of the National Committee for Integrated Management of Vector Control was held today, Thursday, in the main hall of the Ministry of Health, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Dr. Muhammad bin Saif Al Hosani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Affairs, and the attendance of the committee members from representatives of government agencies concerned with combating disease vectors in person and via video call, to discuss the emergency situation for the spread of Aedes aegypti mosquito and the emergence of dengue fever cases.

 The meeting began by giving an overview of the history of the discovery of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and its spread in the Sultanate of Oman, then a review of the current field situation of the geographical spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the distribution of cases in the Governorate of Muscat.

  The meeting came out with several recommendations, including intensifying the activities of combating the vector, epidemiological investigation, intensifying environmental sanitation campaigns in cooperation with the Muscat Municipality, and focusing on community awareness with the cooperation of all concerned parties.