Dengue fever is the world’s fastest spreading, mosquito-borne viral disease, affecting 50-100 million people yearly. Spread predominantly by day-feeding mosquitoes, it causes severe flu-like symptoms and a potentially lethal form called severe dengue can also develop. There is no specific treatment, and prevention depends solely on effective mosquito control measures.
The Human Cost
Dengue fever flourishes in urban poor areas, suburbs and the countryside but also affects more affluent neighborhoods in tropical and subtropical countries. An estimated 500,000 people with severe dengue require hospitalization each year and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 40% of the world’s population is now at risk. The economic and social costs of dengue can severely impact individuals, families, businesses and communities.
Frontline Singapore
Following a dramatic surge in dengue cases in Singapore, BASF is working actively with government agencies and industry representatives to help combat the disease with integrated mosquito management programs. This is especially critical for construction sites where areas of standing water are notorious breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
At a recent “Dengue Warrior” seminar organized by BASF and pest control supplier Bentz Jaz in Singapore, over 600 pest management professionals, contractors, builders and environmental health & safety managers learned about the importance of integrated pest control programs including BASF’s Abate® larvicide. Based on the active ingredient temephos, Abate® controls mosquito larvae safely and effectively before they hatch and is recommended by the World Health Organization to prevent larvae from developing in drinking water containers.
Stepping up mosquito control in Malaysia
Speaking at the event, leading public health expert, Prof. Dr. Hidayatulfathi Othman, University Kebangsaan, talked of integrated mosquito control campaigns in neighboring Malaysia, where deaths from dengue fever have nearly tripled compared to the same period in 2013. The Malaysian government is also deploying Abate® together with biological control agents to combat dengue in urban hotspots.