St. Maarten News – Wear light colored clothing at dusk, long sleeve shirts and pants and use mosquito repellent to prevent being bitten by a mosquito that could possibly be carrying dengue, zika or chikungunya, the Collective Preventive Services (CPS) advises in a press release.
Visitors and residents are advised to take preventative measures during the evening hours to prevent from getting these diseases that are transmitted by the female vector Aedes Aegypti mosquito. This mosquito’s body has alternate black and white horizontal stripes. She lays her eggs in clear (clean) stagnant water. Within eight days the mosquito can complete its life cycle from egg, to larvae to pupae and to adult mosquito.
Keep their homes, yards, neighborhoods and work environment free from potential mosquito breeding sites, CPs says.
Actively destroy or dispose of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused plastic swimming pools or other containers that collect and hold water. Do not allow water to accumulate in the saucers of flowerpots, cemetery urns/vase or in pet dishes for more than two days. Throw out the water and turn them over every time it collects water.
Check around construction sites or do-it-yourself improvements to ensure that proper backfilling and grading is realized to prevent drainage problems which can be a source for standing water. Empty all construction containers such as blue tanks, buckets, paint cans etc.
Mosquitoes can be kept out of the home by keeping windows, doors and porches tightly screened (16-18 mesh). Those insects that do get into structures can be eliminated with a fly swatter or an aerosol space spray containing synergized pyrethrum.
Screen off cistern outlets, cover and screen septic tanks properly.
These measures should also be taken in and around the workplace, social gatherings and living quarters to eliminate mosquito breeding sources.
For information about preventive measures call CPS at 542 20 78 or 542 30 03
CPS calls for action against mosquito breeding places
