Communicable Diseases

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Vector-borne Diseases

What are vectors?

Vectors are living organisms that can transmit infectious diseases between humans (or from animals) to humans.

What are the vector-borne diseases?

They are the diseases caused by disease-vectors, often found in tropical regions, where insects prevail, and access to drinking water and sanitation is not safe.

How serious are vector-based diseases?

Vector-borne diseases are considered the most serious, since they are unpredictable, let alone the fact that it is very difficult to prevent or control it, given that infection may occur even after treatment and the disease-borne insects are deeply rooted in the environment where they prevail.

The seriousness of vectors resides in their ability to transmit the disease at a large scale in shorter time than other infectious diseases that necessitate human-to-human contact. Over and above, vectors can transmit diseases among different living beings (mice, rats, monkeys, birds, dogs, etc.) and humans, thus giving way to the prevalence of various microorganisms triggering serious diseases. In addition to that, treatment of such diseases is rather difficult, and essentially necessitates the elimination of the vector.

Types of Disease-vectors:

Mosquitoes
Flies (sand flies and black flies)
Ticks
Bugs
Snails carrying parasites

Potential Places where Disease Vectors Exist:

Utensils and ridges containing stagnant water, and swimming pools.
Places where rainwater raft (such as toys at gardens).
Abandoned places and tools.
Uncovered water tanks at the kitchen and bathroom.
Ridges containing stagnant water.
Rodent burrows and dark places.
Stagnant water drained by the air-conditioner and poor ventilation.
Stagnant water at roofs.
Swimming pools, ponds and marshes, especially in agrarian places.
Animal pens.
Unclean beds and swimming places might be a good environment for bugs.

Precautions for Protection against Disease-vectors:

Combating the insects that transmit such diseases, as well as the places where their larvae exist, by using proper insecticides.
Filling ponds and marshes, and eliminating wastes, and making sure not to let them pile up.
Putting on long-sleeved wears, and covering legs at places where insects exist, and using insect repellants.
Using nets at doors and windows to prevent the entrance of insects.
Using mosquito nets when sleeping outdoors.
Covering water tanks well.
Removing things that could probably provide a place for water rafting, such as old tires, ridges and unused tools by large.
When staying for long outdoors, make sure to cover the toilet lid, siphon lid, water drainage openings and gutters.
Changing water at ridges every two days, and cleaning them from inside.
Eliminating water at water drainage channels at roofs and gardens.
Changing water at animals' drinking utensils every two days.
Avoiding travelling to the countries / places stricken by vector-borne diseases, and making sure to take the necessary preventive drugs and vaccines when travelling. Such drugs and vaccines are, for example, for the yellow fever and malaria.
Paying attention to the cleanliness of animals and animal pens.
Making sure to wipe water well after being in contact with water at places stricken by diseases.
Avoiding swimming at ponds or stagnant water, and avoiding excretion in it.
Fighting the snails transmitting the infectious type of Bilharzia.
Maintaining personal hygiene constantly and using clean water for drinking or bathing.
Getting rid of human waste matter away from water resources.