Just outside my room I found this:

Flamethrower !

.

.

I couldnt take any better pictures because I was too late...

The terrorists came to fetch their weapon !... two of them !

I quickly went back to my room and lock the door.

.

.

Then, after a few minutes, I could hear the sound of the flamethrower... quite a loud sound tho.

I heard their footsteps walking pass my room...

Still the sound was there.

Didnt hear anyone screaming or shouting anyway... hmm.

They then went further away and the sound fades along with them.

.

When I decided to have a look, I heard the sound coming back again !

Swt... so, waited another while...

Then, when I'm convinced that they're gone,

I opened my door...

.

OMG !

.

They burned the whole hostel !

.

The smoke was SOOO thick !

So, I quickly went back into my room.

.

.

.

... OK, ENOUGH OF THE CRAPPINGS ...

.

Actually, I dun even know this thing gonna happen at that time.

No clear announcement also. I only heard about it when my roommate came back and informed me.

And, yup, I stayed in my room the whole time...
I see some other people also stayed.

.

And fortunately, I survived ! HaHa =P

.

Anyway, that was a fogging session. It's the first fogging for this semester I believe.

Fogging is done regularly at my campus... regularly.. NOT frequently.

It serves to eliminate the increasing population of all the deadly, innocent God's creations...

HaHa.. paradox: innocent but deadly... haha

summore God's creation... -_-"

.

In proper words... the campus is getting more and more crowded with all kind of insects and little creatures, roaming around. You can see the evidence from my Infestation series. The series currently contain only two episodes... planning to add more, but the terrorists halted it... swt. So, how?

Nevermind.

Fogging is done because they dont want any superpower to emerge from this campus. haha. Read here for the previous story...

No la.. by common sense, fogging is needed to eliminate the over population of the bugs...

and to balance the ecosystem? haha.

.
Outside my room window after half hour

.

.

Let's visit our old friends then...

The mosquitoes are gone... just a few left.

Spiders ?

See what they've done !

.

. . . But . . .

.

.

The featured spider is still around ! See the eggs ?

But, I think the eggs are dead already, by the pale colors they show,
and also they're abandoned by the mother already.

=(

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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Hehehe...no fire.....only smoke from fogging operations against mosquitoes carrying dengue virus..

Akira out~~

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh...

What is criticism?

Criticism is others showing disagreement or disapproval of our ideas or actions. It usually consist of pointing out of our mistakes and shortcomings (of our actions/ideas). Though there are various direct and indirect forms of criticisms, we generally get the idea when it is and what. So instead of trying more on defining it, lets jump straight to handling it. That's what I think would be more relevant to you too.

How to handle it?

Whenever you face criticism, you should first realize that others have as much right to express their opinion as you have. So you should respect it. Because criticisms are generally negative comments, you need to be sure of what is getting criticized. In most cases, its our ideas or our actions that are criticized. Realizing this only is the first step. Because then you know that you are not being criticized but its the idea or action that is getting criticized. This way you alienate yourself from all negative comments.

I understand that you might be feeling very passionate about your idea. Or you would have taken some action in rightful spirit. But this does not mean when they are criticized you take it to your ego or worse, make a prestige issue.

You should start by calmly explaining your thoughts and reasons. The facts and the circumstances. The logic and the rationale behind it. Most of our actions are function of our knowledge and the circumstance. Under similar conditions, quite probable that others will do the same. So try to get them to empathize with your situation.

Sometimes, we our-self start feeling guilty because its a genuine mistake. Instead of having that add to the negative comments, you can use it to counter it. This technique is also called fogging. So when someone criticizes, you accept the mistake right away and mention that it was due to so and so reasons and perhaps next time you won't repeat your mistake. You can also make others indulgent by asking what they would have done. This shifts the focus from what you did to what they would have done. Thus, fogging creates a maze where the negative comments simply gets lost and never reaches you.

Anticipating criticism also helps. It takes away it surprise value. So, if you are prepared, you are not shocked by it. You have you thoughts and your plan of action already in place.

TIdak ada perlakuan khusus untuk Chikngunya, karena biasanya akan sembuh dengan sendirinya dalam 4~5 hari. Cukup berikan obat penurun panas jika demam, dan atau obat/jamu penghilang rasa nyeri persendian. Chikungunya adalah sejenis demam virus yang disebabkan alphavirus yang disebarkan oleh gigitan nyamuk dari spesies Aedes aegypti sama seperti Demam Berdarah. Yang sangat disayangkan adalah kepedulian pemerintah dalam kasus Chikungunya sangatlah rendah, sepertihalnya Dinas Kesehatan Depok Sleman, mereka beralasan tidak ada dana untuk melakukan fogging untuk kasus Chikungunya, lain halnya jika yang terjadi adalah Demam Berdarah. Saya cuma beranggapan seharusnya kalo jenis nyamuknya sama bukankah resiko terjangkitnya penyakit Demam Berdarah juga sama ? Ah mungkin pemikiran saya yang salah ...

Lain lagi dengan pemikiran warga masyarakat Gunung Kidul, kebetulan famili istriku berasal dari sana. Sebut saja Mbah Surjo, beliau menyatakan bahwa sekarang wabah tersebut juga terjadi di daerahnya, mereka menyebutnya 'dengkelen'. Mereka beranggapan bahwasanya penyakit ini wajar/biasa karena kraton hendak melaksanakan hajatan mantu. Wah ada2 saja Mbah Surjo ini. :)

Besides the obvious of moving from a colder environment to a milder one and vise versa, fogging can also occur during any most activities that causes your body temperature to rise. Build up of heat from your face beneath goggles or other kinds of eye protection can cause almost immediate fogging.

To stop the fogging and eliminate visibility problems, anti fog solutions have been created and introduced to the market place. {These products are simple to use. Most of these anti fog sprays are easy to apply but most require a process that required at least two steps in order to apply. Most anti fog spray available do not offer relatively long term solutions to the problems cause by moisture and condensation.

However, these anti fog sprays are the preference for many people who have to dealfor with the problems brought on by moisture and condensation. Industrial workers, extreme sports enthusiasts, hobbyists and even ordinary people in the progression of their daily lives find effective relief in applying anti-fog spray to the surface of their glasses or safety glasses.

Finding the best anti fog spray for yourexacting eyewear and activity is important. There are products specifically made for glass while others offer protection only for plastics and some provide adequate protection for both.

When deciding on an anti fog spray; be sure it is a one that is developed for your kind of lens material as making the wrong choice can result in damage to your expensive and can cause damage to your other high end optics such as camera or scope lenses. Although most are safe for many kinds of lenses there are very few of these products that are safe and efficient on specialized lenses like those manufactured with polycarbonate materials.

How effective the solution is, is another major factor. There is a big discrepancy between the level of protection and also the amount of effectiveness between existing anti fog products. Some will only offer a few hours of hard-hitting protection against fogging before having to re-apply while others will have a longer duration.

An anti fogs level of protection is basically decided by the temperature range at which it stays effective. With Most of these products their effectiveness is short lived in below zero temperatures or overly warm environments.

One anti fog spray called Fogtech has achieved the impossible. They offer a solution that can be applied in a matter of seconds, is safe for all glass and plastic lenses even high end plastic lenses. Not only that but they also claim it can last up to ten days with just one application in below freezing conditions or extreme heat and still remaining effective.

With all the anti fog sprays currently available on the market one must be sure to do the research before finally settling on a solution that will hopefully put an end to your fogging problems once and for all.

-------------------------------------

QUESTION: Fogging, the carrier is diesel.  Has there been any study about what breathing that in will do to the body?

ANSWER:  

Pesticides have always been a source of concern for trained and licensed operators, the scientific community and, of course, the general public whom we shall refer to as “residential/bystanders”.  Our fears have centered on the simple fact that since such products are designed to kill, albeit pests and vermin, they can also be harmful to the human population as well.  However, a review of the scientific literature would substantiate what we already know in the Vector Control Unit, that exposure by inhalation to chemicals used for fogging has little or no significant adverse health effects on residential bystanders, whether be they adults or children.

     

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRC) of Health Canada, referring to Malathion, explains it thus: “The droplets of pesticide are very small and do not drift or deposit like larger droplets.  Spray droplets may evaporate during this period of suspension in the air, and so, not deposit at all....  Thus, exposure is minimized and adverse effects are, as a result, limited.”  The ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry put it this way, again speaking of Malathion: “(it) can be absorbed after inhalation, oral, or dermal exposure, but is readily excreted in the urine, and does not accumulate in organs or tissues.”  The National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Healthpublished a study on the subject of fogging using organophosphate insecticides. 

 

The study indicates that “…inhalation of spray mist was negligible.  No clinical signs or symptoms of intoxication were discovered in either study, nor were inhibitions of cholinesterase (ChE) activity of health significance established under the conditions of the studies.”

 

The Vector Control Unit of the British Virgin Islands' Environmental Health Division has in the past fogged to control adult mosquitoes using chemical products from the Organophosphate (Malathion) and Synthetic Pyrethroid (Chemrez 25 S, Biomist) classes in addition to Diesel Oil, which serves as an accelerant.  The Diesel burns the chemicals to produce a white smoke that the wind can easily carry in and around our premises where the pest mosquitoes are most active. Understandably, residential bystanders tend to feel vulnerable when overcome by that “smoke.”

 

The Cholinesterase enzyme is inhibited by chemical exposure and thus is a good pointer to the ill effects of a pesticide on the human person.  The Vector Control inspectors employed by the Environmental Health Division were all tested for lowered Cholinesterase inhibition in 2005.  All of them were passed fit.  Some of the inspectors have worked in this field for many years, decades in some instances.

 

However, exposure to the ULV (ultra low volume) formulations employed by truck-mounted equipment is to be avoided during and immediately after a spray event in the same way that a house should be evacuated after spraying for mosquitoes with a household aerosol.

 Antigua

Following is the second of the two-part piece on the subject by Peter Roderick, writing in the Antigua Sun.

If you omitted to read the first part of the article and clicked straight to this one, you may be interested in backtracking to Part 1 after which you can come right back here to complete your read.

__________

Malathion fogging has been causing controversy...for years.  I did some research...and discovered that there are two very different points of view on the matter.  Through it all, I came to certain conclusions which appear not to be in dispute.

Malathion is classified as an organophosphate insecticide. It is the most widely used organophosphate insecticide in the United States.

The people who manufacture malathion normally sell their product in a very pure state when it leaves the factory.  It should contain less than five per cent of impurities.  Pure malathion is said to have a relatively low toxicity to humans.  We have the manufacturers' solemn promise that their product will not harm us when used according to their instructions.  What instructions?  Here’s a sample -

Precautions: Keep out of reach of children.  Hazardous if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.  Avoid breathing spray mist or dust.  Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing.  Wash exposed skin areas thoroughly with soap and water after working with malathion.  Clean contaminated clothing before reuse.  Do not contaminate feed or foodstuffs.  Do not treat dairy barns.  Do not apply to pastures while occupied by dairy animals.  Do not treat any plants while in bloom.  Avoid contaminating any body of water.  Wash treated food before eating.  Do not apply to eyes or ears (except in ointment form) or nose of any animal.  Do not store product near food, feed, fertilisers, seed, and like commodities.  Highly toxic to fish and bees.  Emulsifiable concentrate formulations may cause injury to young cucurbits and ornamentals (crassula; holly; African violet; petunia; sabina and canaerti junipers; Boston, maidenhair and pteris ferns).

Malathion is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the USA.

The EPA doesn’t actually test malathion.  It approves the product based on information supplied by the manufacturer.

Diluting malathion with diesel can result in a product which weakens mosquitoes but does not kill them. This can give rise to mosquitoes which become resistant to malathion.

While malathion itself is not considered toxic, it can and sometimes does contain impurities which are in fact highly toxic.

Malathion is highly toxic to bees.

Malathion is toxic to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic life stages of amphibians (I think this means tadpoles.  If you notice that there are less tree frogs around (Antigua); this might be the reason).

Some female rats which were fed high doses of malathion for two years developed higher incidences of liver tumours, i.e. cancer.  The males were apparently not affected.

Malathion should not be used on fruits or vegetables immediately before consumption.

Malathion should not be inhaled.

If malathion is absorbed into the body it is quickly metabolised into toxic chemicals.

Malathion should not be stored at temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit.  Above this temperature it will progressively break down into highly toxic by-products.

People who work with malathion for long periods should have frequent blood tests to check the level of cholinesterase in their blood.

Malathion fogging should only be carried out by individuals who are properly trained and are fully conversant with the manufacturers instructions for use of the product.  Use of the product by untrained individuals may constitute a public health hazard.  It can also ruin the paint on your car. 

Here’s an excerpt from the Fyfanon directions for use –

Droplet size

1. The Mass Median Diameter (MMD) of the droplets should not exceed 17 microns.  The MMD is the drop diametre which divides the spray volume into two equal parts; i.e., 50 per cent of the volume are drop sizes below the MMD and 50 per cent are above the MMD.

2. Spray droplets should not exceed 32 microns in size.  Three per cent of the spray droplets (six droplets out of 200) can exceed 32 microns providing the MMD does not exceed 17 microns and no droplets exceed a maximum of 48 microns.  Larger droplets, when transported by natural air currents, impinge more readily on objects in their pathway and will permanently damage automobile-type paints.

3. More than one-half of the total spray mass must consist of droplets in the 6 to 18 micron range to achieve adequate dispersal of insecticide over a 300-foot swath.

4. A minimum of two-thirds, preferably four-fifths of the total spray must consist of droplets not exceeding 24 microns in range.

Fyfanon was sprayed widely in New York City and on Long Island in September 1999 to kill adult mosquitoes and combat a newly emerging public health threat, the West Nile virus.

Fyfanon’s active ingredient, malathion, is highly toxic to lobsters and after heavy rains washed the insecticide out to sea the lobster population was virtually wiped out.  The local lobstermen sued and reached a tentative settlement in a class-action suit against Cheminova, the maker of the Fyfanon. The company agreed to pay $12.5 million.

An article on the BBC news Web site dated 28 March 2008 cites a new study which found a strong link between long term exposure to pesticides and the development of Parkinson's disease.  Parkinson’s is a progressive, degenerative, neurological condition which causes uncontrollable trembling of the arms and legs. There is currently no cure.

In summary, the benefits of widespread malathion fogging to prevent the outbreak of dengue should be carefully weighed against the possible risks to the general population and to the environment.

There is much that can be done by ensuring that all roadside drains are regularly cleared of debris to eliminate stagnant waters where mosquitoes abound.  Perhaps we should focus more on cleanliness than on another quick fix from the chemistry laboratories.

Submitted by Peter Roderick

Source:Antigua Sun 

Besides the obvious of moving from a colder environment to a warmer one and vise versa, fogging can also occur during any activity that causes your body temperature to rise. Heat build up from your face under glasses or other types of protective eyewear can cause almost immediate fogging.

To prevent the fogging and eliminate visibility problems, anti fog products have been created and introduced to market. Most of these anti fog products are simple to apply but many have a process of two or more steps to apply. Most anti fog solutions available do not provide relatively long term answers for the effects of fogging.

On the other hand, these products are the solution of choice for many those that put up with the problems caused by moisture and condensation. Industrial workers, extreme sports enthusiasts, hobbyists and even ordinary people in the course of their daily lives find effective relief in applying anti-fog spray to the surface of their glasses or protective eyewear.

Finding the best anti fog spray for your particular eyewear and situation is paramount. There are products specifically designed for glass while others offer protection only for plastics and some provide adequate protection for both.

When deciding on an anti fog; be sure it is a product that is formulated for your type of lens material as choosing the wrong solution can result in damage to your expensive eyewear. Although most are safe on most lens types there are only a handful of these products that are safe and effective on specialized lenses such as those developed from polycarbonate materials.

How effective the product is, is another major factor. There is a big difference between the level of protection as well as the length of effectiveness between competing anti fog products. Some will only provide you with a few hours of hard-hitting protection against fogging before having to re-apply while others will have a longer duration.

An anti fogs effectiveness is mostly determined by the temperature range at which it remains effective. With Most of these products their effectiveness is short lived in sub freezing temperatures or overly warm conditions.

One product called Fogtech has seemed to do the impossible. They offer a solution that can be applied in a matter of seconds, is totally safe for all glass and plastic lenses including high end polycarbonates. Not only that but they claim it remains effective for up to ten days with a single application in sub zero temperatures or extreme heat without losing effectiveness.

With all the anti fog sprays currently available on the market one need to be sure to do the research before ultimately choosing a product that can hopefully eliminate your fogging problems for good.

Besides the obvious of moving from a colder environment to a milder one or vise versa, fogging will most likely be experineced with any activity that causes your body temperature to rise. Heat build up from your face beneath glasses or other types of eye protection can quickly cause fogging.

To prevent the fog and obscured vision problems, anti fog products have been developed and introduced to market. These products are simple to use but most require a process of at least two steps in order to apply. almost all of the current anti fog solutions available do not provide relatively long term solutions to the problems cause by moisture and comdensation.

However, these products are the solution of choice for many people who have to deal with the problems caused by moisture and condensation. Industrial employees, extreme sports enthusiasts, hobbyists and even ordinary people in the course of their daily lives find many wonderful benefits in applying anti-fog spray to the surface of their prescription lenses or safety glasses.

Choosing the right anti fog solution for your particular eyewear and activity is paramount. There are products specifically made for glass while some provide protection only for plastics and some provide adequate protection for both.

While choosing an anti fog product; be sure it is a one that is developed for your type of lens material as making the wrong choice can cause damage to your high end optics. Although most are safe on most lens types there are very few of these products that are safe and effective on specialized lenses like those developed from polycarbonate materials.

How effective the product is, is another major factor. There is a huge difference between the level of protection as well as the length of effectiveness between existing anti fog products. Some will only offer a few hours of hard-hitting protection against fogging before you have to re-apply while others will have a longer duration.

An anti fogs level of protection is basically determined by the temperature range at which it remains effective. With Most of these products their effectiveness is short lived in sub freezing temperatures or extremely warm environments.

One product called Fogtech has seemed to do the impossible. They offer a solution that can be used in just seconds, is totally safe for all glass and plastic lenses including high end polycarbonates. Not only that but they claim it can last up to ten days with only one application in below freezing conditions or extreme heat and still remaining effective.

Considering the many anti fog solutions now available on the market you must be sure to do the research before ultimately choosing a product that can hopefully eliminate your fogging problems once and for all.

Antigua and Barbuda

The use of the organophosphate Malathion has been an integral weapon against mosquitoes in the Caribbean region and beyond.  Study after study have confirmed the sustained efficacy of this product.  However, its overuse has caused real fears that the mosquito populations of our islands are developing such a high level of resistance to its effective is being seriously, if it has not happened already.

There is another downside that has been problematic for Vector Control operators region wide.  The smell!  The odour is not a pleasant one to be sure.  And folks hate it when they are enveloped in Malathion formulated fog during adulticiding operations.  It is, therefore, not uncommon for Vector Control personnel to be stoned and chased away by angry people because of this.

So in spite of how well Malathion continues to work, the Vector Control Unit of the British Virgin Islands' Environmental Health Division made a conscious decision to phase it out completely and replace it with the odourless - and just as effective - synthetic pyrethroids and Insect Growth Regulators (IGR's). 

There are still other alternatives available on the market that have yet to be explored.

Needless to say, there are Caribbean countries that still have Malathion in stock, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda included.

Peter Roderick took notice of this issue and wrote the following Vox Pop in the Antigua Sun.  The first part of the two-part series has been reproduced below, but with some edits to improve clarity and statistical relevance.

Reports of an increase in Dengue Fever outbreaks in some countries around the Caribbean have prompted the Antigua Ministry of Health to undertake preventive countermeasures.  An ounce of prevention is generally reckoned to be better than a pound of cure.

Dengue is (a) serious viral infection which is spread by the bite of one (species) of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti.  The symptoms of Dengue include sudden fever, severe headache, severe muscle and joint pain, and a bright red rash which usually appears first on the legs and chest but can spread to cover the entire body. There may also be abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.  The disease can only be spread through the bite of an infected mosquito so there is no risk of direct contagion from one person to another.

In Brazil in 2008 a Dengue outbreak in Rio de Janeiro state (has) infected more than (57,000) people and resulted in (67) known deaths.  Another outbreak in 2007 produced 438,000 cases with 98 deaths.  Dengue is certainly a thing to avoid.

Avoiding Dengue means avoiding the mosquito which carries it.  Happily, at this time, Antigua is not known to be home to the Aedes aegypti.  Nonetheless, it only makes good sense to take reasonable precautions to keep the local mosquito population (at) a minimum.

In this context, the Ministry of Health has embarked on an intensified programme of fogging residential areas with insecticide with a view to mitigating the potential hazard of a Dengue outbreak here in Antigua.  According to Chief Health Officer Lionel Michael, they are conducting regular fogging operations in several locations around the island.  Fogging is performed in the early morning around 4 a.m. and in the evening at about 8 p.m.

Michael reports that his fogging operatives have encountered a near insurrection in certain communities from residents throwing stones at the drivers. Clearly not everyone is in favour of the fogging. So what is the problem?

It might be tempting for many to simply dismiss the stone throwers as misguided cranks but I would suggest that some further scrutiny of the situation is in order.

Michael himself has stated that the ministry uses the insecticide malathion. It is combined with diesel and dispersed into the air as extremely fine droplets from a slow moving vehicle.  It is the diesel which gives the insecticide fog its characteristic unpleasant smell.  Notwithstanding the bad smell, Michael and the Ministry of Health are adamant that fogging with malathion is perfectly safe.  Obviously the government would not be using anything which could be the least bit harmful to the public.

In addition to those objecting to the bad smell, some have suggested that this kind of fogging can cause cancer and other ailments. Could there be any truth to such claims?

Source: Antigua Sun

What say you?  Comment if you have a particular experience or view about Malathion.

Kegiatan ini dilakukan sebagai tindakan antipasi warga terhadap wabah yang akhir-akhir ini sedang merebak yaitu wabah demam berdarah (DB). Apalagi menurut informasi dari beberapa sumber, sudah ada beberapa warga Kelapa Dua, yang notabene masih bertetangga dengan perumahan Villa Ilhami, yang harus dilarikan dan dirawat di rumah sakit karena terkena wabah Demam Berdarah.

Seperti biasa, penyemprotan dilalukan beberapa tahap, baik di lingkungan luar rumah warga, halaman, jalan-jalan, sampai kedalam saluran air (got). Dampak yang terjadi setelah dilakukan penyemprotan ternyata bukan hanya nyamuk saja yang mati atau ngabur... ternyata kecok dan serangga-serangga kecil lainnya ikut mabok. Ratusan kecoa berhamburan melarikan diri dari persembunyian, keluar menuju jalanan maupun halaman rumah, sehingga membuat miris yang melihatnya hhiiii......

Foto-foto yang lain yang menggambarkan warga saat melakukan kegiatan fogging dapat dilihat disini .

Seperti yang saya alami hari Jumat pagi, tiba tiba saja suara mesin fogging menderu deru kek gergaji mesin *kayakanya beda dech* mendekati areal rumah. Kirain nggak masuk gang rumah eh ternyata tanpa permisi dan basa basi tuh petugas maen semprot aja, padahal waktu menunjukkan pukul 6.00 am, dan nih mata baru aja bisa merem karena batuk yang bikin gatel tenggorokan mulai bisa diatasi. *ughhhh sebel*

Yah akhirnya saya bangun juga, karena asap sudah mulai memenuhi ruangan di dalam rumah dan saya sudah tidak bisa melihat dengan jelas. Dengan wajah ditutupi pake selimut, saya berlari mencari tempat aman. Akhirnya selang 10 menit rumah aman dari teror Asap. Jujur saya nggak kuat sama bau asapnya dan suerrrrr batuk saya pun semakin menggila sesudahnya :(.

Tapiiiiii .... kenapa yah setelah Fogging, saya tidak melihat mayat mayat nyamuk bergelimpangan ??????

Apa pestisida yang digunakan kurang yahud OR para nyamuk udah pakai baju baja buat antipasi fogging ini ?! Padahal kalo hari hari biasa disemprot pake obat nyamuk semprot ada aja tuh Mayat Nyamuk yang bergelimpangan. Lah ini koq nggak onok sama sekali :(. Dan jujur lagi nech, setelah fogging di pagi harinya, malam harinya tetep aja tidur diiringi musik khas yang dimainkan oleh para nyamuk yang bertandang ke rumah :(. Kalo nyamuk biasa aja sih masih no problemo, kalo nyamuk Aedes Aegepty yang bawa penyakit Demam Berdarah juga berkeliaran kan bisa berabe. Kena DeBe, masuk ErEs, nginep 2 minggu, kena inpus, sedia pocari berkaleng kaleng wah wah wah bisa bankrut nech *cape' dech*

Ternyata, Fogging tidak efektif untuk memberantas Nyamuk. Fogging yang dilakukan hanya mampu membunuh nyamuk dewasa aja, jadi kalo yang dewasa alias sudah waktunya untuk almarhum. Sedangkan, telur dan jentik nyamuk masih aman aman saja, karena fogging tidak dapat membunuhnya.

Maka daripada itu, kita jangan hanya mengandalkan fogging saja untuk menghindari DB, kita juga harus rajin membersihkan rumah dari kaleng-kaleng bekas atau apapun itu (yang bekas) yang bisa dijadikan sarang nyamuk. Selokan yang ada di dalam rumah dan di luar rumah juga harus rajin rajin dibersihkan. Kamar Mandi jangan dilupakan juga, ini bisa jadi sarang nyamuk yang empuk untuk memperbanyak komunitasnya :D.

Setiap hari kalo bisa, pakai obat nyamuk oles kek soffel atau Autan (ini bukan promosi hihihihi), bair terlindung dari kegatalan si nyamuk yang suka menggigit tanpa permisi.

Dapat sedikit info curian, selain melakukan 3M dan Fogging, juga bisa dilakukan Abatisasi, yang katanya bisa membasmi dari mulai telur sampai nyamuk dewasa. Kalo semua ini sudah dilaksanakan secara rutin yah minimal seminggu sekali dech, maka Demam Berdarah dapat dicegah dan diatasi.

Demikian sekilas Info, kita lanjutkan acara berikutnya hehehehehehe :D

...seems like the Dengue outbreak has reached St. Augustine, Trinidad

__________________________________________________________________

Dengue Fever is endemic in Trinidad and Tobago.  However, it has become a curiosity that what seemed like an isolated event wherein 12 Chinese workers were afflicted with the disease at an insanitary area of Keate Street, Port-of-Spain in January and a separate outbreak that sent three members of a Corinth, South Trinidad family to the San Fernando Hospital has migrated to another area of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. 

The County Medical Office (St George East) received confirmation a few days ago that five (5) more persons have contracted Dengue Fever, this time on Freeman Road in St. Augustine.  The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday, an online publication that has been consistently on top of Dengue stories, says that it has information that even more people have been presenting to the Priority Care Facility of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope for care related to Dengue. 

We at the Coalition cannot, however, tell whether this means that St. Augustine residents are having themselves checked out as a precautionary measure - maybe because they have something like the flu and think they might be infected - or that they were diagnosed with the disease and are going through the process of having blood tests and treatment for the signs and symptoms of it.  What seems to be clear though is that the Priority Care Facility (PCF) has been seeing five (5) to six (6) Suspected Dengue Cases weekly for several weeks to date.

This situation was deemed serious enough to prompt Chief Medical Officer Rohit Doon to fire off a memo to County Medical Officers reminding them of the well-recorded “Dengue activity in Latin America and Caribbean Regions” and admonishing them to “aggressively and purposefully...ensure compliance..." with applicable Public Health regulations.  These regs place the onus on owners and occupiers, residents all, to control the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito on their premises.  Here in the British Virgin Islands, there are 'Mosquito Regulations' that forbid the keeping of any receptacles that permit the breeding of mosquitoes of any kind. 

For its part, the Trinidad Ministry of Health has taken a proactive stance by placing public service messages in the print and electronic media encouraging householders to seek out and eliminate mosquito breeding places in and around their premises and destroy these sites whenever it is practical to so.  Additionally, District Health Visitors and Nurses will be making house-to-house visits in the affected areas as part of that public education blitz.

With regards to the St. Augustine issue, the Public Health Department is currently engaged with the Insect Vector Control Division (IVCD) and the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) in tackling this growing Dengue problem on the ground.  The IVCD on Friday, February 22, fogged areas in St. Augustine to reduce the adult population of mosquitoes.   The Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation conducted fumigation operations of its own on Freeman Road and Rapsey Street on the same day.

One of the irresponsible messages that these health workers may have to debunk, if it gets through to the public, is that the main places where the Dengue mosquito breeds is in stagnant water found in drains and plastic bottles.  It is highly impossible, though not totally impossible, that the Aedes aegypti mosquito will choose to breed in open public drains and bottles.  There is really no way that these foci could be the MAIN breeding grounds fuelling the mosquito population in Port-of-Spain.

Contacted by Newsday for comment, Communications Advisor for the Health Ministry, Jones P Madeira was more on point.  He said that “people must continue to ensure their premises are free of receptacles that encourage breeding.”  This is advice that all people - all of us - in the Caribbean region should heed.

15 Februari 2008
Mencuatnya dugaan praktik pungli kepada masyarakat saat pelaksanaan fogging di Desa Kedungbetik, Kecamatan Kesamben, Jombang. Beberapa warga yang rumahnya dilakukan pengasapan ternyata ditarik biaya Rp 6 ribu.
Menurut Kepala Desa Kedungbetik, Mustahjuddin, inisiatif warga untuk meminta fogging ini menyusul ditemukannya 13 kasus DBD (demam berdarah dengue) positif di desa setempat. “Agar warga tak panik, kami menggelar fogging meski harus dengan biaya sendiri,’’ terang Mustahjuddin.
Terkait keresahan warga kian meluasnya serangan DBD, hingga sejauh ini Dinkes Jombang baru melakukan fogging di empat titik yang tersebar di beberapa kecamatan. Namun begitu, dalam pekan ini pihak dinkes menargetkan akan melakukan pengasapan pada 11 titik di beberapa kecamatan. ‘’Sudah mulai kami lakukan fogging gratis,’’ kata Endang juru bicara Dinkes Jombang, seakan menepis dugaan praktik pungli yang terjadi di Desa Kedungbetik, Kecamatan Kesamben..
Untuk keperluan itu, pihaknya juga telah mengambil dana untuk fogging gratis dari DASK (daftar anggaran satuan kerja) Dinkes Jombang sebesar Rp1,1 juta untuk setiap titik fogging. ‘’Jatah kita untuk 100 titik fogging gratis. Saat ini kami juga mengajukan anggaran tambahan,’’ terangnya tanpa menyebut jumlah anggaran tambahan yang dimaksud karena masih dalam telaah staf.
Fogging gratis ini, menurut dia, akan diberlakukan terhadap daerah yang menurut hasil PE (penyelidikan epidemologi) terdapat kasus positif DBD. ‘’Hanya berdasarkan PE itu yang kami berikan fogging gratis,’’ tandasnya..
Sementara, sejumlah elemen masyarakat di Jombang mulai tak tahan dengan lambannya kinerja dinkes setempat dalam menangani kasus DBD.
Selain desakan untuk segera merealisasikan SK Bupati terkait KLB (kejadian luar biasa), mereka juga telah mengambil langkah untuk menembus sulitnya proses pencairan dana penanganan DBD dalam status emergency itu.
Aan Anshori, misalnya. Direktur LSM Lingkar Indonesia untuk Keadilan (LInK) ini, mengatakan telah melayangkan surat kepada Menteri Kesehatan Fadilah Supari, mendesak pemerintah pusat untuk mengambil alih penanganan DBD di Kabupaten Jombang.
‘’Kalau masyarakat dipaksa menunggu kinerja eksekutif dan legislatif masalah tak akan selesai. Lebih tepat, Menkes langsung yang menginruksikan penanganan DBD ini,’’ tegas Aan.
Permintaan pengambilalihan penanganan wabah DBD ini lanjut Aan, merujuk pada Undang-undang Nomor 4 Tahun 1984 tentang Wabah Penyakit Menular dan PP 40/1991 tentang Penanggulangan Wabah Penyakit Menular. Apalagi, imbuh dia, pihak pemerintah kabupaten dalam hal ini Bupati maupun DPRD Jombang, sangat lamban dan kurang tanggap dalam menyikapi hal tersebut.
‘’Terbukti sampai saat ini, belum ada langkah-langkah terpadu dan terpublikasikan untuk menangani persoalan ini. Kami khawatir korban akan semakin banyak jika tidak ada penanganan secara sistematis,’’ paparnya, sembari berharap langkah ‘potong kompas’ yang dilakukannya itu segera mendapat respon dari Menkes Fadilah Supari. (*)

  

The recent outbreak of Dengue among Chinese workers employed by the Shanghai Construction Group International Trinidad Ltd. (SCG) to build the Academy of the Arts on Keate Street in Port-of-Spain continues to draw the attention of the Public Health Department of the Port-of-Spain Corporation.

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When asked by the Trinidad & Tobago Newsday, Chief Public Inspector Sayad Ali promised that the Keate residence of the SCG workers, 12 of whom came down with Dengue Fever in January, "is going to be monitored on a regular basis."

Following the discharge of the Dengue patients on January 25, the Public Health Department fumigated the Keate Street area including the living quarters of the infected Chinese workers, and nearby Queen's Park Savannah and Belmont using ultra low volume (ULV) insecticides. 

In the Coalition's previous story on this matter, it was reported that the Caribbean Epidemiological Center had confirmed Dengue and that tests to determine the serotype (Dengue 1, 11, 111, 1v) involved was still underway.  The results are in now, but are inconclusive.

The PoS Corporation misinterpreted these results to mean that the Chinese had fallen ill with something other than Dengue.  What was misunderstood is that the Dengue virus remains in the blood stream for a short period of three to four days and that if the blood of an infected patient is pulled for testing after that window has already closed - as appears to have been the case - the likelihood of typing the Dengue virus becomes more and more remote.

In short, there being no question that the initial Rapid Test results were accurate, the PHD was correct in flagging the Keate Street compound occupied by the Chinese and all other contact points, based on the movements of the infected individuals, for follow-up action.

As an added note, whenever there is a suspicion of Dengue transmission, an epidemiological survey to track the geographic spread of the virus becomes absolutely necessary if intervention strategies to protect the vulnerable sub-population is to be done in a timely manner.  I am confident, therefore, that the 'Contact Tracing' done by the Environmental Health Officers of the Port-of-Spain Corporation was in fact the protocol that informed the decision as to where continued monitoring of Dengue sites are to be conducted.

Related mosquito story: Mosquitoes biting Lucy

Blood samples have since been flown to the region’s premier testing laboratory at the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) in Trinidad for serological confirmation and to determine the causative serotype involved.  No date was given when the results will become known.

Chief Environmental Health Officer Lionel Michael revealed that two teams of Aedes aegypti Inspectors have been deployed, one in rural areas and the other in urban environs, to conduct regular fumigation and door to door inspections.

Chief EHO Lionel Michael has assured Antiguans that his Department received some new fogging machines in December 2007, which places him is in a better position to tackle the adult aegypti population.  

However, he acknowledged that the best way to control the Dengue mosquito is for the householders - not "Government" - to do the simple things: to eliminate the places where mosquitoes breed and hide.  They must identify and manage all 'artificial containers' such as buckets, old tyres and flower vases that can hold water for they will inevitably attract the mosquitoes and allow them to lay their eggs.  This is the reason why he has inspectors going from house to house.  

He must be careful though that the inspectors go about eliminating the breeding places without involving Antiguans in the fight by teaching them how to conduct mosquito surveys on their properties and by empowering them to continue monitoring their premises after the inspectors walk away.  If the people do not take ownership of the preventative measures that will further the fight against the further spread of the disease, rest assured that the number of Dengue cases will rise no matter how much fogging is done and how many inspections are conducted.

Rest assured too that there are possibly dozens, if not scores of Antiguans, who are suffering with Dengue - right now.  Of course, they may or may not have been so diagnosed because they preferred to treat themselves with traditional herbal medicines or simply ignored what they would put down to a simple flu.

But while it may be OK to rely on the bush medicine, it is doing a disservice to the rest of the community when the Environmental Health Department and the Medical Division do not know that you may have Dengue.  Being oblivious about how many persons are possibly infected with the disease, the control measures will surely miss the vital clues that will enable the national epidemiologist to trace contacts and literally track the virus around the country.  Without that information, the Aedes aegypti Inspectors could end up fogging and inspecting St. John's when the virus is really in circulation in either Bolans, Gray's Farm or Otto's.

Antigua's sister island Barbuda remains unaffected at press time.

(Source: Antigua Sun)

The results of tests done on a 21 year old male of the said household was not yet available.  Two other females, the 43 year old mother of the house and an 83 year old relative of the six strong household were in the clear.  However, the latter has since been removed from the house as a precaution since the elderly are more susceptible to the Dengue virus for obvious reasons.

Public Health Inspector John Ramkhelawan of the San Fernando City Corporation (SFCC), the agency responsible for Dengue prevention and control, told the Newsday reporter that on being notified about the three Confirmed Dengue Cases, a team of Vector Control personnel were stationed in and around Corinth.  As of Friday, January 04, they were conducting the requisite house-to-house and premises-to-premises inspections for the purpose of identifying all mosquito breeding sites and to destroy the adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in circulation there.

PHI's Ramkhelawan and Alexander Ramnath were said to have personally supervised the Vector operation on Saturday, January 05.  "We are doing a radius of at least 150 metres (and) are fogging the immediate environs and will continue the exercise...to make sure the situation is brought under control,” said Ramkhelawan.  He further explained that his Vector Control Officers “... did find mosquitoes and (that on the very Saturday were) back doing Dyna fogging which is targeting the adult mosquitoes.” 

San Fernando City Corporation worker Chanda Sankar seen here spraying the Corinth Village home of a family, three of whom are in hospital suffering from dengue fever, with a Dyna-Fog Fogger

The Dyna-Fog Fogger is a brand of machine used for thermal fogging, that is a process whereby a formulation of a given adulticide is literally burnt using a propellant such as diesel oil.  The smoke generated is what we in the Vector Control business refer to as a "fog." 

A truck mount version of the fogger would be calibrated to release insecticide droplets, measured in microns, to cover a swath of at least 200-300 metres.  A handheld machine such as what was used in San Fernando is appropriate for spraying close quarters and for reaching places not readily accessible by motor vehicle.

In the Caribbean, there are many, many communities with no asphalt or concreate roads and can only be covered on foot trails. 

The British Virgin Islands' Vector Control Unit no longer uses the Dyna-Fog Fogger, which for many years had been a fixture in its arsenal of fogging equipment.   

 Judy Maharaj relative of the dengue fever victims....

Judy Maharaj, a business woman  and the matriarch of the affected house told the Newsday that she is pleased with the Vector Control response but that there are "...really plenty mosquitoes in the area and I am taking no chances.”

She would be well-advised not to for her family's affliction is definitely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  In other words, there could be many more victims. 

Asson writes: "Unconfirmed reports (Saturday 05) stated that there are other Suspected Cases of Dengue Fever from other parts of south Trinidad warded at the SFGH."   

As the Dengue epidemic in the Caribbean region appears to be reaching a plateau, it is now time to take stock of what has transpired over the past several months.  We begin with the British Virgin Islands where there has been a slowing of the diagnostic frequency of Suspected Dengue Cases.

Chief Environmental Health Officer Carnel Smith when asked by the Virgin Islands Standpoint On Line to name the areas where the two Confirmed Dengue Cases, as reported by the Ministry of Health in a press release, reside said that the communities would not be revealed to the public for fear of pandemonium.

“We don’t know how people would react to such news, but we have been to the Localities and once we know where the cases are we [Environmental Health Vector Control Programme] will treat any...bodies of water...within a 100 yard radius,” disclosed Smith. 

According to The BVI Standpoint, Chief EHO Carnel Smith further explained that scientific findings suggest mosquitoes have a flight range of a 100 yards unless of course they are transported around from place to place by moving vehicles. 

Mosquitoes are actually able to cover great distances depending on favourable wind speeds and wind direction.  Interestingly, they are known to work their way upwind as well.

CEHO Carnel Smith also told the Standpoint that apart from focal treatment of stagnant water bodies, the adult Dengue mosquito can be destroyed by spraying or fogging.    However, he noted that fogging has been put on pause in the BVI due to sporadic rainfall, but that the exercise will recommence shortly.

Fogging is done in the BVI with a suite of EPA approved insecticides designed specifically for mosquito control in the human environment.

Finally, CEHO Smith credited his surveillance officers for the efficient way in which they have executed the management of Dengue in the British Virgin Islands.

Thank you Sir on behalf of the dedicated Aedes aegypti Inspectors who are the ones that do the leg work and thereby ensure that all policies set by this Programme Manager are executed with due deligence, dedication and excellence.