Tainan City recently increased inspections in high-risk areas (vacant houses and spaces, gutters, etc.) to eliminate vector breeding and control the dengue fever epidemic from the source. Director Su Shi-bin of the Tainan City Dengue Fever Prevention Center pointed out that recent inspections have found many community gutters with stagnant water and have turned into breeding sites for vector larvae. Since gutters are part of the buildings, Su asked building owners, users, and managers to step up and thoroughly inspect the areas. Responsible individuals should keep the gutters from becoming water-logged due to poor structural design or drainage hole blockages as this would create a breeding site for vector mosquitoes and severely affect the health of themselves, their families, and neighbors.
Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed that there is no shortcut to the prevention and control of dengue fever and only by clearing out breeding sites can the disease be controlled. He urged all citizens to cooperate with the city’s epidemic prevention schemes and carry out the “Search, Eliminate, Clean, and Scrub” method thoroughly. The Mayor also reminded the public to scale up personal protection measures against mosquitoes by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and using government-approved mosquito repellents that contain effective ingredients approved by the MoHW (such as DEET, Picaridin, or IR-3535) to reduce the risk of contracting dengue fever.
The Tainan City Government reminded the public to seek medical attention immediately if they show symptoms including abdominal pain and tenderness, persistent vomiting, mucosal bleeding, drowsiness, restlessness, or other warning signs. As severe dengue fever can progress very rapidly, if patients do not receive appropriate care promptly, the mortality rate could reach over 20%. Citizens with the above-mentioned symptoms should not take OTC medicines at home and must seek immediate medical treatment and provide relevant medical history.