Dengue, the fight is for everyone.

Dengue is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and less commonly by the Aedes albopictus. Aedes Aegypti is also a transmitter of Zika virus and Chikungunya fever.

This mosquito is less than a centimeter in size, brown or black in color and has unmistakable white stripes on the body and legs, which distinguishes it from other types of mosquitoes.

It usually stings in the wee hours of the morning and late afternoon, but can also strike in the hot hours in the shade and at night.
The Aedes aegypti is a mosquito of domestic habits, living in or around the houses. In these places they feed and mate, needing only a copulation to achieve reproduction. After copulation, the females must feed on human blood for the complete development of the eggs, this is where the transmission of the disease occurs, through the man-mosquito-man cycle.

The female Aedes Aegypti once infected remains so throughout life. Approximately three days after ingestion of blood, females will be looking for another spot to spawn, this is in places with clean water and standing. The eggs are deposited on the walls of the containers, and remain attached to the surface of the water. Therefore it is very important to wash and scrub walls of the containers.
If the female is infected with the dengue virus at the time of egg laying, the larvae may be born with the virus. Each female can breed up to 1,500 mosquitoes throughout her life. These eggs acquire resistance to dryness, and can survive up to 450 days out of the water, until the rainy and hot season, facilitating their hatching.

The "smoke" only kills adult forms, does not kill eggs, so we should always avoid accumulation of standing water.
A person can suffer from dengue up to four times in their life, because there are different types of this virus, after recovery from illness the person becomes immune. The four types of virus can cause different forms of the disease, with hemorrhagic dengue being the most serious form, since the person can die because of a significant drop in pressure. Dengue has symptoms similar to other diseases such as meningococcal meningitis, it is also possible to get sick with Dengue fever and Chikungunya fever or other at the same time, so it is always very important to seek medical attention at the nearest municipal health center or hospital.

Prevention is the only weapon against the disease. Warning for preventive measures for mosquito control:

- AVOID WATER STOPPED:
Empty and brush the inner walls of containers that accumulate water, pet fountains as well. Keep fully enclosed cisterns, water tanks. Put tires in places protected from rain. Do not accumulate litter. Periodically clean the roof rails. Water plants preferably in the morning, avoiding the late afternoon hours.

- COFFEE HAT:
The discovery of Alessandra Laranja, a researcher at the Institute of Biosciences, Letters and Exact Sciences of the São Paulo State University (Unesp), the Sao Paulo campus José do Rio Preto).

- USE REPELLENT:
There are commercial products of standardized and proven stable components, they must be reapplied every 3 hours, there are also natural repellents, which are non-toxic but also less efficient and lack residual power and should be applied more often. Dengue can kill, use products of proven effectiveness as the main protection.

Natural repellent recipe

1/2 liter of alcohol in a 1-quart glass bottle and add 2 tablespoons of cloves. Leave the clove in the alcohol for 4 to 8 days, shaking two or more times / day. In this way, the alcohol will extract the essential oil from the clove which has the property of natural repellent. After 4 days add with 100 ml of baby, mineral or almond oil. Coe all, put in clean jars with spray cap, for easy application.

Ticks

The tick is an ectoparasite, a very dangerous hematophagus, the second vector insect that transmits more infectious diseases to animals and humans, the mosquito being the first in importance. Transmitted infectious diseases can be caused by: bacteria: Anaplasmosis, Erlichiosis, Haemobartolenosis, Riquetosis, Borreliosis or Lyme disease; protozoa: Babesiosis, Hepatozoonosis; the virus: TBE.

In addition to infectious diseases, it can cause states of allergies in the animal and in certain cases may induce toxicose and paralysis.

Many of the transmitted diseases are chronic and accompany the animal throughout life, thus making them more vulnerable to other diseases such as leishmaniasis.

It is important to know that several of these diseases are zoonoses, humans can get sick from the bite of infected ticks.

There are numerous products on the market to avoid infestations in animals: collars, bath solution, spray, shampoo, spot-on and even tablets that guarantee 12 weeks of protection. To avoid infestations the environment must be treated with products to spray walls, roof, yard, etc. Consult with your veterinarian which is the best option for your case, and being a mite, is not susceptible to any insecticide.

Ticks can spend 200 to 220 days without feeding so care must be permanent on the animal and the environment.

By Cecilia Tito. Originally published in Bora Magazine, Praia da Pipa - Issue 12 - Jun / Jul 2015