The Environmental Protection Bureau of Tainan City Government launched the “Larvae-minator Program,” as part of an ongoing effort to step up the fight against dengue fever. Under the initiative, more than 400 personnel of the Bureau received training in the control and prevention of the infectious disease through a total of four workshops. The participants performed inspections of water-holding containers and cleaned mosquito breeding sites. Going forward, they will play a vital role in stopping the spread of dengue fever as they work with district offices across the city to provide Larvae-minator training courses to help many more environmental volunteers and residents become capable larvae-minators.
In the workshops, the instructor, a technical specialist of the Taiwan CDC, talked about the breeding environment and environmental characteristics of the vectors of the dengue virus - Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. He told the participants that in terms of intervention, nothing is more effective than eliminating larvae from water-holding containers to prevent them from developing into vector mosquitoes. Following the classroom lecture, training was arranged on breeding-site inspection and monitoring. Under the guidance of 12 experienced inspectors of the Environmental Protection Bureau, who serve as teaching assistants, the participants combed the neighborhoods and learned proper inspection methods through hands-on exercises in the field.
According to the Bureau, the participants of the four field activities detected a combined 100 larvae/pupae-positive containers. Topping the list were water buckets, accounting for 29% of the total, followed by potted plants and trays (26%), discarded tires (8%), ghost money burners (5%), canvases (4%), styrofoam boxes (3%), and many other types of containers, including helmets, toilet bowls, dustpans, pots and pans. These are all common water-filled containers that can be found in households, the Bureau said, stressing that there is no shortcut to eliminating breeding sources, and no can never let their guard down against the ever-present threat of mosquito larvae. It is better to be safe than sorry, so extra precautions should always be taken. Only when everyone is diligently looking for and clearing out clutter can breeding sites and water containers be fully removed.
Leveraging the success of the “Larvae-minator Program,” the Environmental Protection Bureau will extend its outreach to all the villages and neighborhoods across the city and partner with the district offices to hold more workshops, in hopes of training many more larvae-minators. The Bureau calls for the support of the communities to join the force of larvae-minators and work towards eliminating the breeding sites of vector mosquitoes. Together, we can put an end to dengue!
Contact person: Su Fang-ying, Environmental Cleanness Management Section, Bureau of Environmental Protection, Tainan City Government
TEL: +886-6-268-6660, ext. 118