Officials from the Ministry of Health have increased efforts to educate residents of St. Kitts and Nevis, on ways to protect against the transmission of Dengue Fever, which is spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Hazel Laws, in sensitizing the public about the virus, was stated during last Wednesday’s edition of the “Working for You” program, that “plastic containers, bags in the house and around homes, as well as flower pots, are sources of habitat for the larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Additionally, tyres in and around the home, large buckets and basins used for storing water, should be properly sealed or emptied occasionally as a measure to prevent mosquitoes from making them breeding ground.

Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with the dengue virus.

Symptoms of dengue include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding involving the nose or gums, and easy bruising.  Although there is no vaccine to prevent dengue, timely medical care can reduce the possibility of death.