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Because dengue is primarily an urban disease, inadequate systems for collecting and storing solid waste and failure to remove discarded items such junk cars, tires, and oil drums as well as small discarded containers have been associated with an increased risk of dengue transmission. Consequently, the options available for prevention and control of epidemic dengue are rather limited and they include the following: Aedes aegypti eradication; effective public sanitation/insecticide application; regulation of commercial travel/migration; preventive measures keyed to improved surveillance; and routine mosquito control efforts. Yet, the emphasis should be on disease prevention rather than mosquito control and should serve to: 1. Establish guidelines for the prevention and control of dengue. 2. Emphasize the fact that dengue is primarily a problem of poor public/domestic sanitation, inadequate water treatment, high levels of poverty/unsatisfactory living conditions, and the presence of appropriate vectors and/or reservoirs; 3. Escalate the development and use of effective vaccines against all four serotypes of dengue; 4. Develop directions for appropriate communication links with the community and encourage participation in a community-based intervention programs for the prevention and control of epidemic dengue; 5. Transfer the responsibility and capability for the prevention and control of epidemic dengue to the community as well as promote training programs for participants; 6. Facilitate the evaluation of the effectiveness of a community-based intervention program for the control of epidemic dengue; and 7. Provide guidelines for basic logistical support. |