Kids

How To Prevent Our Kids From Getting Dengue

by Kevyn Gohu
May 24, 2022

With rain comes dengue so here’s how to prepare kids for the dengue season.

Dengue is a common occurrence with the rainy season forming puddles for the mosquitos to breed in. Although we want our kids to go out, we have to make sure they don’t get bitten. And that our house isn’t a place for the Aedes aegypti mosquitos (the ones that spread dengue) to breed in. Usually, those are the mosquitos with black and white stripes. So, here are some ways to prevent our kids from getting dengue.

1. Light and pastel-colored clothes for kids

Two studies, one done in 1957 and one done in 2013 proved that darker colors did attract mosquitos more than pastel and light-colored ones. It’s because darker colors absorb more heat which is what mosquitos use as signals to tell them where the food is. Keep the kids in bright colors to make sure they stay cool and don’t generate as much heat.

2. Sweet Tawa Tawa Tea

Tawa-Tawa is a longstanding Filipino remedy against dengue. But it may also not be the best tasting one. Some moms add a little honey to make it sweeter so that the kids can drink it. Don’t mix any milk though! Milk is known to reduce the effectiveness of tea by messing with the tannins—making it lose out on antioxidants. For sugar-free options, Stevia is a good sweetener.

3. Have more citrus-smelling things at home

Calamansi, lemon, orange, and dalandan—all these fruits are citrus and contain limonoids which mosquitos hate. Two studies, one in 2010 from a university in Pakistan and 2015 from one in Thailand, proved that fruits with limonoids not only killed mosquito larvae but kept the adult ones away, too! It’s why citronella works so well against them. But in case citronella isn’t available, calamansi, lemon, orange, and dalandan work just as well. So, it’s preventing dengue and having a nice citric-smelling home for your kids. How fresh is that?

4. Keep a fan near your child

Mosquitos are not very strong fliers so if there’s a gust of wind blowing against your child, they’ll certainly have some difficulty getting close. During online classes, the fan will keep kids cool, their laptops or computers from overheating, and dengue-ridden mosquitos away. It’s a win-win.

5. Keep the drains unclogged

One of the most common places for dengue mosquitos to breed in are the gutters, roofs, and maybe a few pots. Always keep these drained to prevent mosquitos from landing there.

6. Closed trash bins

When we put out our trash, as much as possible, we squeeze everything into one bag. Unfortunately, squeezing it in generates heat, which can attract mosquitos. For plantitas and plantitos, one might need to consider a closed compost bin. Compost creation requires heat but to keep the dengue mosquitos away, either keep it closed or resort to more heat-less fertilizer like used cold-brew coffee grinds.

Brace ourselves, dengue season is coming!

With schools opening up again, it just so happens they’re opening in the rainy season when kids are vulnerable to dengue. While there are some stories that getting dengue makes them a bit more immune, it’s still a hard battle to climb if they do get it. Like they always say, prevention is always better than cure!