I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the uncertainty as I watched my son’s symptoms get worse. I remember how his fever refused to abate. I remember our frantic rush to the emergency room of St. Luke’s Quezon City.
I remember the fear as I watched my precious boy lying down on that narrow hospital bed, hardly able to stand and complaining of the worst headache. I remember the sinking feeling when rashes started to appear on his body.
I remember how hard I prayed as I waited for the results of his complete blood count. I remember the distress in my heart and my knees getting weak when the doctors confirmed that my son had Dengue.
After just a day and a half of fever, my son’s hands were blue, and a white spot would remain on his skin when I pressed his body lightly with my fingers. The doctors told me these were danger signs. My son was admitted into the Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) because he needed round-the-clock monitoring.
We are normally told to observe our kids for three days when they have a fever. But after just a day and a half of fever, my son’s life was already in danger. He had stage 3 Dengue.
The cab ride home at around two in the morning was the longest cab ride I have ever been in. I wanted to stay with my son, but I had to go home to my daughter, whom I was still breastfeeding at that time.
I made tearful phone calls to inform family about the situation, and to cry my heart out to whomever was still awake to listen.
These days, Dengue is not the only disease one can catch from a mosquito bite. A few weeks ago, I learned from my kids’ pediatrician that kids are now routinely vaccinated against Japanese Encephalitis, a potentially fatal virus that is closely related to Dengue and causes inflammation of the brain. According to her, there has been a rise in Japanese Encephalitis cases in the country.
The past week, Zika virus has also been in the news. Zika is yet another virus that is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, and which causes pregnant women to give birth to babies with abnormally small heads.
With all these mosquito-borne diseases, it helps to know how to protect our families from mosquito bites. While it is nearly impossible to eliminate mosquitoes in your home, there are ways to minimize their population, and ways to protect our families when outdoors.
Here are a few things I have found to be helpful in keeping my home close to mosquito-free, and my children relatively free from mosquito bites:
Install screens on all windows and doors.
If your windows and doors have no screens yet, then it is time to have some installed. Screens allow fresh air to circulate in your home while preventing mosquitoes from entering. If you already have screens, make sure these are free from damage. Rips and holes in the screen can be entryways for mosquitoes.
Eliminate breeding grounds.
Keep your home and property clean and eliminate breeding grounds. Keep water containers covered, and make sure there are no areas where water can stagnate. Mosquitoes lay eggs near stagnant water. If you have plants in vases, change the water at least once a week.
Plant lemongrass around your home.
Lemongrass is a great way to shoo away those pesky mosquitoes. And they are so easy to grow! Just stick some lemongrass stalks with roots into the ground and wait for the plant to grow. Lemongrass also spreads fairly quickly so you’ll have enough to replant in different areas of your property. If you do not have a garden, you can plant lemongrass in pots and place the pots strategically around your house.
Spray your home with an insecticide.
There are many who will probably shun the idea of spraying insecticide in their homes, particularly with young children running around. I used to think the same way until my son got critically ill from Dengue. After his health scare, I searched the market for an insecticide I could use at home.
I found Vectron, an insecticide manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals Inc. and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be safe for indoor use. It stays on your walls for several months, providing long-term protection from mosquitoes. I have found that it also works well in eliminating cockroaches.
For areas outside the house near windows and doors, I spray Victor, an insecticide also manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals.
Light a katol.
A katol is a coil that is burned to repel or kill mosquitoes. But because it allegedly causes respiratory diseases, burning katol inside your home might not be a good idea. Burn them instead outside but by your doorways. This will prevent mosquitoes from lingering by doorways, and flying into your house when the door is opened.
Use gadgets that attract and kill mosquitoes.
There are some gadgets you can use against mosquitoes, like mosquito light traps that attract mosquitoes and zap them to a crisp. I have several of these in my home.
I’ve noticed a lot of mosquitoes do get zapped, but so do a lot of other insects. A mosquito light trap is also not advisable for homes with children who could inadvertently touch the item and get electrocuted.
I also recently learned about the mosquito ovicidal/larvicidal trap (OL trap), a mosquito trap developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). I owe this discovery to my husband’s aunt, who swears by them. Though I have yet to verify their efficacy, I am including them in this list because I noticed that mosquitoes did get attracted to the cup that I had placed outside.
"The OL trap kit simply consists of a black cup and a popsicle stick-like strip of lawanit (coconut husk wall paneling) that is half-immersed in an organic solution that can destroy mosquito eggs and larvae. When the kit is placed in areas known to be frequented by mosquitoes, the scent of the solution attracts female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to lay their eggs on the lawanit stick.
While the trap does not kill the mosquito, it kills the hundreds of eggs it lays. The trap’s crucial component is the pepper-based solution developed by leading Filipino entomologists and DOST scientists. It has three important parts: a black container, a small strip of lawanit measuring 1"x6.5" for mosquitoes to lay their eggs on, and pellets as larvicide. The OL-Trap's ovicidal and larvicidal effect prevent the next generation of mosquitoes from reaching adulthood, thus curbing the Aedes mosquito population.”
Mask your scent.
Mosquitoes are attracted to our sweat and the bacteria in it. Uric acid, ammonia, and lactic acid released by bacteria on the skin attract mosquitoes. Masking our “smell” through mosquito repellents is another preventive measure one can employ. There is a wide variety of mosquito repellents out there.
However, I do recommend longer-lasting repellents since people don’t normally pause every two hours in the middle of hectic schedules just to reapply mosquito repellents.
Surviving Dengue
I remember how my cab driver began to speak about the power of prayer and of God’s mercy. I listened and was reminded that God has a plan. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28 came into my mind as I listened to this stranger, this cab driver, and I was comforted.
I remember the prayer that the cab driver said for me and my family right before I stepped out of his cab. I remember thinking that I would not be able to sleep, but I was wrong. The peace of God was with me.
I remember walking into the hospital room that morning, comforted with the knowledge that God loves my son no matter what happens.
But most of all, I remember the lessons I learned. I learned to never take my loved ones for granted. I learned that sometimes, three days is too long before taking a sick child to see a doctor. I learned simple ways to control the mosquito population in my home.
And I learned that God’s mercy is unending. It is new every morning.
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