Malaysians are constantly battling with dengue diseases all year round, as we see a continuous spike in dengue cases, where the cumulative number of reported dengue cases reached 26,420 as of July 2022. This is a whopping increase of 80% compared with the same period in 2021. Despite the rise of dengue cases, many of us still don't realise the severity of this vector-borne disease caused by Aedes mosquitoes, unless they have experienced it first-hand, including me.

I never thought about the importance of the precautionary measures against dengue until it happened to my loved one, my mum. A month ago, my mum was experiencing a mild fever and had red spots on both her hands and legs. When we spotted these dengue-like symptoms on my mum, my dad and I rushed her to the nearest hospital immediately. Just as we'd suspected, my mum was diagnosed with dengue and ended up staying at the hospital for more than a week. 

After that eventful week, my mum seemed to get better with her blood platelet count slowly getting back to normal. I thought my worst fears were finally coming to an end, but then came more shocking news when one of my aunts was also infected with dengue fever. Her condition turned out to be more serious than my mum's. She had to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to her blood platelet count being very low and in risk of further health complications. I can still vividly remember the struggles I had - on one hand couldn’t stop worrying about my mum’s condition, then my aunt’s, and on the other, juggling with my varsity’s final semester exam. 

All in all, what a rollercoaster experience we had. Coming out of it, we decided to do precautionary measures at home to avoid other family members from becoming the next victim to this fatal disease - Dengue.

Here are some proactive measures that we have taken, and we find useful. 

1. Remove stagnant water

Do not leave stagnant water lying anywhere in or around your house. It is very dangerous as these mosquitoes lie in this stagnant water, regardless of dirty or clean water.

Be careful if your house has a small garden like mine. I have a small home garden in front of my house, and due to the rainy season, there will be standing water on the grass and in the flower pots. That’s where mosquitoes love to breed and it is very crucial to check on these hotspots where the standing water easily collects, so we can constantly do our routine cleaning to prevent forming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

2. Clean the trash bins regularly

All this while, we used to throw away the used containers without emptying out the water. Besides, trash bins also tend to collect small amounts of rain water, which will easily attract mosquitoes as they like dark and damp spaces. Hence, we have been practising emptying out water from used containers before throwing it away and cleaning up the trash bins frequently.

3. Install mosquito nets for your doors and windows

Mosquitoes can enter your home through a small crack, gap between door hinges or doors and windows that are left open for long hours throughout the day. Therefore, we decided to install mosquito net protectors on every window and door in the house.

4. Using LED mosquito traps to keep away adult mosquitoes

Despite your best efforts to keep your home free of standing water, cleaning the trash bins regularly, and installing mosquito nets, chances are mosquitoes may still be present in your home environment. So the best way to control the mosquito population in your house is to have proper mosquito traps installed in outdoor and indoor environments. This is the holistic approach to reduce and control mosquitoes from breeding in your home, and that will prevent your loved ones from getting bitten by Aedes mosquitoes, thus reducing the chances of dengue fever infections. 

A LED mosquito trap is a good investment for every homeowner. It is 3-4 times more effective than the conventional bug light traps. It runs on lowpower consumption and minimal noise operation. If you are looking for a mosquito trap, check out Rentokil Webshop. It's never too late to takeyour proactive actions today! Get LED mosquito traps from Rentokil Webshop and we will deliver it to your doorstep.

This content is provided by Rentokil Initial (M) Sdn Bhd.

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