Israel to target mosquitoes in effort to prevent Dengue fever

The Environmental Protection Ministry will take steps to curb the population of a species of Mosquito in Israel in order to prevent further cases of Dengue fever, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

This comes in the wake of reports that an Israeli had contracted the virus while on vacation in Thailand. The Environmental Protection Ministry had previously reported that the Israeli had contracted the disease after returning from a trip to Mexico.

The Ministry noted that the Israeli who had been infected is still feeling well. 

The species of mosquito the Environmental Protection Ministry will target is the Asian tiger mosquito, the females of which spread the Dengue virus to humans through their bite.

The disease cannot be spread through human-to-human contact.

The ministry has instructed local authorities to conduct surveys to locate Asian tiger mosquito breeding location in the area of the infected Israeli’s residence, in Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal.

Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal is located in Israel’s central district, north of Petah Tikva.

If the ministry locates Asian tiger mosquito breeding sites or larvae, steps will be taken to manage the mosquito population.

Taking preventative steps

Additionally, the ministry is urging Israelis to be educated on the mosquitoes and take preventative steps to better ensure that they don’t contract a mosquito-borne virus.

Things such as wearing mosquito repellent, keeping windows closed, wearing long clothing, and using a fan to create a breeze are all methods the Health Ministry is advising people to take.

Dengue virus symptoms

The Dengue virus has a variety of symptoms that can be quite severe. The Health Ministry announcement lists fever as well as: headaches, nausea, muscle pain, joint pain, and rashes as among the common symptoms of the virus.

Still, for most, it is not life-threatening and symptoms usually clear up within a couple of day to a week.