LION'S ROAR 3 7 June 2013 - The British School Manila

LION’S ROARMosquitoesAre small, annoying, and leave itchy bites all over your arms and legs. While this is a fair description ofthe mosquito, some interesting facts about the mosquito may be surprising.Most adult mosquitoes live for about two weeks.Only female mosquitoes bite—they need the protein for their eggs.Male mosquitoes survive by sucking on nectar and other plant juices.The welt that appears after a mosquito bites is an allergic reaction to the saliva that is injected intoyour skin to prevent your blood from clotting.Mosquitoes rarely travel farther than 300 feet from their birthplace.Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes than dark colors; thus, mosquitoes are more likely tochoose a victim wearing darker colors.Mosquitoes are found all over the world, even in cold places like the Arctic.Mosquitoes prefer dark places like trees, grass and shrubs.Like humans, mosquitoes have food preferences—not all mosquito species bite humans, some preferbirds, horses, frogs or turtles.Tropical countries have very hot weather, humidity and it rains very much which becomes the perfecthabitat for mosquitoes. One obvious reason is that the hot climate present during all the year and thelarger volume of rains directly affect the formation of breeding grounds, the larger number and variety ofnatural reservoirs and animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans, the largest number of possibleof diseases.Since many mosquitoes breed in standing water, source reduction can be as simple as emptying waterfrom containers around the home. This is something that homeowners can accomplish. For example,eliminating mosquito breeding grounds by removing unused plastic pools, old tires, or buckets; byclearing clogged gutters and repairing leaks around faucets; by regularly changing water in bird baths;and by filling or draining puddles, swampy areas, and tree stumps. Eliminating such mosquito breedingareas can be an extremely effective and permanent way to reduce mosquito populations without resortingto insecticides.Mosquitoes have poor eyesight. They cannot see objects more than 30 feet away from them and cannoteasily distinguish between objects of similar size and shape. However, their sense of smell is highlyefficient and they can locate hosts within a wide area. Their antennae also contain sensitive thermalreceptors, which are used to locate blood near skin surfaces.Adult mosquitoes rest during the day, usually on tall weeds or other vegetation. Make yard lesshospitable to mosquitoes by mowing your lawn regularly, and keep weeds away from foundation.Tips on How to Prevent Dengue Ensure the child has applied mosquito repellents on skin before going to school. When going outdoors during day time, these mosquitoes are actively biting, thus try to wearlong-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks. Avoid heavily populated residential areas. When indoors, stay in air – conditioned or screened areas. Use bed nets if sleeping areas are not screened or air-conditioned. Cover water storage containers to prevent breeding of mosquitoes If the child has fever, don’t send him/her to school. Observe and properly hydrate. If you have symptoms of dengue, please see your doctor immediately.BSM Nurses7 7 June 2013THE BRITISH SCHOOL MANILATelephone 860-4800 Fax 860-4900 Website www.britishschoolmanila.org