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Dengue Fever

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Advice to north Queensland residents

Dengue fever prevention

Dengue fever is not a disease that governments alone can control – all residents are responsible for ensuring they do not encourage the breeding of dengue mosquitoes in their residential yards or place of business.

Get rid of dengue mosquito 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 mosquito breeding sites. The best form of control is to get rid of mosquito breeding sites around the home. 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
• striking containers (to grow plant cuttings)
• drain sumps
• fallen palm fronds
• coconut shells.

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

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Residents should check in and around their homes 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.

For more information view the Guide to the prevention of dengue mosquito breeding.

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.

Avoid being bitten

People should prevent mosquito bites during the day, particularly early morning and late afternoon. You should:

• use personal insect repellents
• use a plug-in zapper indoors
• screen sleeping and living areas
• wear long, loose clothing outdoors
• use cockroach surface sprays indoors in dark places such as behind cupboards and under beds.

See a doctor

See a doctor immediately if you or anyone in your family have any symptoms of dengue.

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Resources for downloading

These resources are part of a dengue fever prevention campaign for north Queensland residents. The campaign encourages residents to: “Stop the mosquito breeding and stop the disease”.

Click on the picture to go to the full size document.

Brochure   Bin sticker   Poster

Fridge checklist   Postcard

Click on an image above to view a larger version of the image. Please note, the larger version will open in a new window.

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