Health Ongoing campaign against dengue, Zika virus

The Health Bureau has declared that the Ovitrap index for January and February is lower than last year’s number. This has been primarily attributed to infrequent cold weather this year. However, experts say they expect the number of mosquitos in Macau to increase this month as hot and humid weather is headed to the city.
According to a TDM report, the Dengue Fever Prevention Working Group has been handing out fliers on mosquito control to residents.
“We usually launch anti-mosquito measures during April, however we started this anti-mosquito campaign in March due to potential outbreaks of Zika virus and dengue fever,” said Leong Iek Hou, head of the bureau’s Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Leong is calling on residents to take precautionary measures, such as removing stagnant water from vases and avoiding mosquito breeding sites.
Meanwhile, residents are advised to be vigilant on the possible hazards of dengue fever, especially during the warmer months of July and August.
According to the bureau, Macau has already recorded three imported cases of dengue fever this year, two of which are from Malaysia and the other from Indonesia.
Although several imported Zika virus cases have been confirmed in the neighboring Guangdong province, no case has been recorded in Macau.
Only last month, the Guangdong province reported two more imported cases of Zika virus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 12 in the province.