front |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |9 |10 |11 |12 |13 |14 |15 |16 |17 |18 |19 |20 |21 |22 |23 |24 |25 |review

To develop effective community participation, the program should seek to inform the people of South Texas about the potential dangers and consequences of epidemic dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome, the fact that major epidemics can be prevented, and the fact that it is their responsibility to see that preventive measures are effective. Ultimately, the information that must be communicated to the people along the Texas-Mexico border is: * Dengue fever is now endemic in Mexico, particularly along the Mexican Gulf coastal plain in the state of Tamaulipas; * South Texas, particularly the Lower Rio Grande Valley, is at high risk of epidemic dengue because of the high Aedes aegypti densities along the Texas-Mexico border and the Mexican Gulf coastal plain; * The majority of dengue transmission occurs in and around the house because people usually accumulate excessive trash around their homes, thereby creating mosquito breeding places; * Control must be a community effort, because only the people involved can effectively clean-up the areas around their own homes to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and flying from house to house; and * Insecticide spraying should only be used in emergency situations; it is the responsibility of the people, not the government, to prevent epidemic dengue.