The Deadly Truth of Dengue In COVID times

Hello readers, as our country and healthcare workers are fighting to control against a common enemy which is COVID-19. There is another old enemy who is lurking in our midst that we should not forget about. That old enemy is dengue.

Back in March 2021, my colleague had a bad fever and started taking paracetamol to treat it. Worried that it might be either dengue or COVID-19 due to both diseases having similar signs and symptoms in the early stages. She went to a hospital for checkup while having excruciating pain to her whole body and joints, along with severe headache and prolonged fever at the same time which was intolerable.

She took a COVID-19 swab test and waited for the results. While waiting, stressful thoughts came flooding her mind such as “What if I was COVID-19 positive?” and “Who did I meet?”. 

Thankfully, her COVID-19 test result was negative but it was confirmed she had dengue. She was then admitted to the hospital for treatment. However, on her 3rd day in the hospital she received terrible news that her husband was admitted to a different hospital for dengue as well.

With her 2 kids at home, it was a nerve-wrecking period for my colleague and her husband. Luckily they have kind family members who offered to take care of both children while they recuperate in the hospital.

A quote by Karen Salmansohn saying, “The most challenging times bring us the most empowering lessons.” After the incident, my colleague changed her lifestyle drastically. She is now more aware of her surroundings and has started using mosquito repellents to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house.

From this story, I realised that many of my friends are also aware of the yearly dengue cases and danger of mosquitoes in Malaysia. They have been increasing the use of indoor mosquito traps in fear of getting infected with dengue. However, what they don’t realise is that mosquitoes don’t just breed indoors, but outdoors too. Did you know that Aedes eggs are so resilient that they can survive in dry conditions without water for 8 months? That’s crazy!

Although indoor safety is important, outdoors is where the source of mosquitoes comes from and it is impossible to control mosquitoes outside using only mosquito repellents inside the house. This is why an outdoor trap like Ovitrap is needed to minimise mosquitoes from breeding and entering homes. Interested in finding out more about how Ovitrap works, what it looks like and its purpose? Click here.

If you are having mosquito issues at home and had enough of using mosquito repellents each time you encounter them at home, it's time to call us at 1300 881 911. We provide a wide range of solutions with our Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) to keep you safe from Dengue.