With the arrival of winter, many people forget that a large enemy, despite its millimetric size, can still be present in or around the home environment.
With the mission of feeding on blood to mate and generate thousands of other offspring, the female of Aedes aegypti He doesn't give up until he finds a victim. Whether during the day, as usual, or even at night, highlighting their opportunistic nature.
To prevent next summer from being marked by epidemics or outbreaks of diseases transmitted by it, of which there are now three - dengue, chikungunya and zika -, researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) recommend increased attention to prevention and reinforce: a check of the home environment carried out weekly is capable of preventing diseases.
To do this, they teach three keywords: eliminate, seal or treat potential breeding sites. As Aedes aegypti preferably lives in the domestic environment, the attitude of each citizen is fundamental.
"The mosquito lives next to humans, inside the house and also around the residence, in backyards, balconies and service areas, for example", says researcher Denise Valle, from the Flavivirus Molecular Biology Laboratory.
"As the mosquito takes 7 to 10 days to go from egg to adult stage, it is enough for the population to eliminate potential breeding sites in their homes once a week. Thus, Aedes is unable to complete its development cycle to the adult stage, moment when it is capable of transmitting viruses", he explains.
Recommendation number one is to eliminate containers that allow water to accumulate. This is the case with bottles, old tires, scrap metal, construction debris or other elements that can be discarded.
As for water tanks or barrels intended for storing drinking water, in the case of regions that suffer from water supply problems, the recommendation is to completely seal them.
"The fence is essential: this way, mosquitoes cannot enter to lay eggs and future mosquitoes, if they are born, will not be able to get out", advises Denise.
At this point, it is important to pay extra attention to storing water for consumption.
"There is no scientific proof that the drought still experienced by some States, requiring residents to store water, is directly related to the increase in cases of these three diseases in the country. However, it is essential to remember that, even in the face of the current need to save water, any container can be a potential breeding ground for thousands of new mosquitoes", warns Ricardo Lourenço, from the Hematozoan Transmitting Mosquito Laboratory.
Again, the rule is to seal. Biologist Rafaela Vieira Bruno, from the Insect Molecular Biology Laboratory, recalls an important characteristic of A. aegypti eggs: their ability to survive for up to a year in dry environments. Therefore, containers that cannot be discarded or sealed need to be taken care of. Swimming pools are in this situation. Another case is the water in the animal's food bowl.
"In addition to throwing away the water, it is necessary to scrub the walls of the containers with a sponge, as the eggs can stick to the surfaces", he explains.
"An egg deposited by the mosquito in winter may be viable to hatch even after a few months until summer arrives", adds Rafaela.
In contact with water, Aedes eggs can take 10 to 30 minutes to hatch into larvae.
In states where the problem is rain, it is important to check less common places, such as external drains and gutters - while drains can be screened, gutters need to be cleaned and unblocked to prevent rainwater from accumulating.
Other possible breeding sites include trays from older air conditioners and refrigerators. Disposing of larvae requires care.
Researcher José Bento Pereira Lima, from the Laboratory of Physiology and Control of Vector Arthropods, teaches how to proceed correctly.
"The water with the larvae must be thrown onto the cemented floor, earth or asphalt. As they are aquatic, when placed in the dry the larvae die within a short time. This water must not be thrown into drains or sinks, as this could characterize a simple breeding site transfer", adds the biologist.
With the arrival of winter, many people forget that a large enemy, despite its millimetric size, can still be present in or around the home environment.
With the mission of feeding on blood to mate and generate thousands of other offspring, the female of Aedes aegypti He doesn't give up until he finds a victim. Whether during the day, as usual, or even at night, highlighting their opportunistic nature.
To prevent next summer from being marked by epidemics or outbreaks of diseases transmitted by it, of which there are now three - dengue, chikungunya and zika -, researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) recommend increased attention to prevention and reinforce: a check of the home environment carried out weekly is capable of preventing diseases.
To do this, they teach three keywords: eliminate, seal or treat potential breeding sites. As Aedes aegypti preferably lives in the domestic environment, the attitude of each citizen is fundamental.
"The mosquito lives next to humans, inside the house and also around the residence, in backyards, balconies and service areas, for example", says researcher Denise Valle, from the Flavivirus Molecular Biology Laboratory.
"As the mosquito takes 7 to 10 days to go from egg to adult stage, it is enough for the population to eliminate potential breeding sites in their homes once a week. Thus, Aedes is unable to complete its development cycle to the adult stage, moment when it is capable of transmitting viruses", he explains.
Recommendation number one is to eliminate containers that allow water to accumulate. This is the case with bottles, old tires, scrap metal, construction debris or other elements that can be discarded.
As for water tanks or barrels intended for storing drinking water, in the case of regions that suffer from water supply problems, the recommendation is to completely seal them.
"The fence is essential: this way, mosquitoes cannot enter to lay eggs and future mosquitoes, if they are born, will not be able to get out", advises Denise.
At this point, it is important to pay extra attention to storing water for consumption.
"There is no scientific proof that the drought still experienced by some States, requiring residents to store water, is directly related to the increase in cases of these three diseases in the country. However, it is essential to remember that, even in the face of the current need to save water, any container can be a potential breeding ground for thousands of new mosquitoes", warns Ricardo Lourenço, from the Hematozoan Transmitting Mosquito Laboratory.
Again, the rule is to seal. Biologist Rafaela Vieira Bruno, from the Insect Molecular Biology Laboratory, recalls an important characteristic of A. aegypti eggs: their ability to survive for up to a year in dry environments. Therefore, containers that cannot be discarded or sealed need to be taken care of. Swimming pools are in this situation. Another case is the water in the animal's food bowl.
"In addition to throwing away the water, it is necessary to scrub the walls of the containers with a sponge, as the eggs can stick to the surfaces", he explains.
"An egg deposited by the mosquito in winter may be viable to hatch even after a few months until summer arrives", adds Rafaela.
In contact with water, Aedes eggs can take 10 to 30 minutes to hatch into larvae.
In states where the problem is rain, it is important to check less common places, such as external drains and gutters - while drains can be screened, gutters need to be cleaned and unblocked to prevent rainwater from accumulating.
Other possible breeding sites include trays from older air conditioners and refrigerators. Disposing of larvae requires care.
Researcher José Bento Pereira Lima, from the Laboratory of Physiology and Control of Vector Arthropods, teaches how to proceed correctly.
"The water with the larvae must be thrown onto the cemented floor, earth or asphalt. As they are aquatic, when placed in the dry the larvae die within a short time. This water must not be thrown into drains or sinks, as this could characterize a simple breeding site transfer", adds the biologist.
The non-profit reproduction of the text is allowed as long as the source is cited (Comunicação / Instituto Oswaldo Cruz)
 |
 |
