National Dengue Day ● Every year on May 16, National Dengue Da | UTKARSH in ENGLISH

National Dengue Day
● Every year on May 16, National Dengue Day is organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare all over India.
● The main purpose of organizing this day is to create awareness about dengue among common people.
● The main carrier of dengue virus is Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dengue thrives in urban poor areas, suburbs and rural areas but can also affect more affluent neighboring countries in tropical and subtropical countries.
● Dengue transmission is closely linked with three major factors – rainfall, humidity and temperature, which dictate the geographical areas in which dengue spreads and is transmitted.
● Dengue is spread by the bite of two mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
● Currently, Aedes aegypti is more prevalent in the southern peninsula, eastern seaboard, north-eastern states and northern plains.
● Aedes albopictus is active along the eastern and western coastlines, north-eastern states and lower Himalayas.
● Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by dengue virus (genus flavivirus), transmitted by several species of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, mainly Aedes aegypti.
● This mosquito is also a carrier of Chikungunya, Yellow Fever and Zika Infection.
● Dengue infection is diagnosed by a blood test and there is no specific medicine to treat the infection.
● The National Vector-Borne Disease Control Program is the central nodal agency for the prevention and control of six vector-borne diseases in India, including malaria, dengue, lymphatic filariasis, kala-azar, Japanese encephalitis and chikungunya. It functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
● To prevent this, every person should keep the place around him clean and should not allow accumulation of water anywhere. Coolers should be cleaned at least once a week. People have also been advised to use mosquito nets and mosquito repellents.