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Dengue Fever

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• Dengue fever
• The disease
• The dengue mosquito
• Dengue in Australia
• Global outlook
• How to reduce the risk of dengue
• Advice to north Queensland residents
• Advice to tourists and visitors
• Advice to commercial and industrial premises
• Advice to hotel and hostel managers
• Advice to residents in Dengue Warning Areas
• Advice to schools
• Advice to school students in Torres and NPA
• Advice to teachers in Torres and NPA
• Advice to general practitioners
• Outbreak update
• Current outbreaks
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• Dengue management plan
• Disease surveillance
• Mosquito control and surveillance
• Education and community resources
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Advice to commercial and industrial premises in north Queensland

Get rid of breeding sites

Dengue mosquitoes breed in containers that hold water. The dengue mosquito does not breed in rivers, swamps, open drains, creeks or mangroves. These mosquitoes do not like to travel far from breeding sites. The best form of control is to get rid of mosquito breeding sites inside and outside. Dengue mosquitoes breed in containers that hold water, such as:

• buckets
• tyres – discarded with no rims
• tarpaulins and black plastic
• pot plant bases
• vases
• boats
• tin cans and plastic containers
• roof guttering
• rainwater tanks with damaged or missing screens
• birdbaths
• drain sumps
• fallen palm fronds
• striking containers (to grow plant cuttings)
• coconut shells

You should check your premises once a week and:

• throw out old containers that are not needed
• store containers in a dry place
• tip out containers that can hold water
• clean out roof gutters.

Downloadable posters  on preventing dengue are available.

Drain sump pits (eg. in driveways or large car parks) have proven to be a significant site for dengue mosquito breeding, because most of these pits hold water. This problem can be fixed by filling the lower part of the pits with concrete or sand, or by ensuring that pest controllers treat them during routine treatment of your school.

'Stop the mosquito breeding
and you can stop the disease'

For more information on controlling breeding sites view the Guide to the prevention of dengue mosquito breeding on businesses and commercial premises.

Delegated Queensland Health officers and local council environmental health officers (EHOs) have the jurisdiction to enter a property to assess whether there are mosquitoes breeding on that site.

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