september, 2019 | The HEAlTH
IssUe: DENGUE
Why do I get bitten
by mosquitoes more
than others?
Here’s what makes you so attractive
to the these blood-loving ‘mozzies’
the Aedes mosquitoes.
Our local municipal councils can only do so much with their vector control unit
running through our living quarters, fumigating the air with their water-based
insecticide and keeping our children from playing outside for a couple of minutes.
Th e unsung heroes fumigating our housing areas day-in and day-out will
amount to nothing if we continue to be negligent in keeping our areas clean and
preventing aedes mosquitoes from breeding.
It is really up to us to make sure that we are not the cause of the dengue
spread. Th ere is no harm in making sure the potential breeding areas are tidied
up and free from stagnant water. Breeding grounds can be the water collected
in and around potted plants, the ditches, or the vessels you keep water in your
bathrooms, among many others.
So come one and come all, let’s stop thinking about how bad the infections
cases have been this year and actually start to do something about it. A clean
environment is a healthy environment. — Th e Health
PLeASe don’t feel singled
out, special, or view
yourself as the chosen
one. Th e mosquito bites
everyone. But there may
just be a hint of truth to
the victims they favour
more than others. Read
on to learn more about
why mosquitoes bite
some people more than
others, and what you can
do if you’re one of their
favourites.
What’s your blood
type?
Just like each of us has
our go to drink, mosqui-
toes have a blood type
preference as well. People
with type O blood (the
universal donor type), are Feeling paranoid that you seem to
a mosquito’s top choice, be targeted by mosquitoes? You
whereas they don’t go might be right after all.
as much for people with
type A or B blood. Th e reasons mosquitoes prefer type O blood
aren’t totally clear, but it may have something to do with blood
type–related chemicals that are secreted through the skin.
What’s your shirt colour?
Mosquitoes primarily use what amounts to a sense of smell and,
to a lesser degree, visual information when they make a move for
their meal. even how you dress and the colours you wear in areas
where mosquitoes are present can have an impact on how many
bites someone will get. A mosquito will be more inclined to bite
someone wearing a bright blue or red shirt hanging out in a green
yard than someone in the same yard who’s wearing green clothes
that blend into the surroundings.
ERADICATING THROUGH TECH: Dr Helmi explains the sudden
rise in dengue cases, and how data analytics and AI may help in better
management of the disease on a global scale.
Exhaling a lot more frequently these days?
even the amount of carbon dioxide, or CO2, a person exhales can
attract more mosquitoes. Th at explains why people who exert
more CO2 will be more inclined to get mosquito bites. Usually, the
bigger a person is, the more carbon dioxide they will produce by
exhaling, and the more attractive they will be to the mosquitoes.
Th e love for carbon dioxide can also put pregnant people at more
risk for mosquito bites, since pregnant people tend to exhale 21
per cent more CO2 than people of the same age and size who aren’t
pregnant.
It’s alright, it’s not just in your head. Th e mosquitoes might
just favour you more than your friend sitting next to you. — Th e
Health
The app provides a more focused, real-time
notifi cation of dengue forecast to end users
– all done through an Artifi cial Intelligence.”
hospitalisation each year, and with an
estimated 2.5 per cent fatality, annu-
ally,” says Dr helmi.
A smorgasbord of factors
“however, many countries have
reduced the fatality rate to less than
one per cent, and globally, 28 per
cent decline in fatality have been
recorded between 2010 and 2016
with significant improvement in
case management through capacity
building at country level. Th ere are
a several reason for this most likely
due to increase human movement
(travelling), international trade (used
tyre trade), and weather variability
(per our AI model assessment). Some
places are impacted harder than
others - this is due to compounding
local factors such as rapid, poorly
planned urbanisation.”
Using AI to beat dengue
AIMe, a Dengue Outbreak Prediction
platform is an innovative dengue
dynamic surveillance system which
relies on artifi cial intelligence (AI) to
predict geo-locations and timing of the
next dengue outbreak.
“Th e app provides a more focused, real-
time notifi cation of dengue forecast
to end users - all done through an
Artifi cial Intelligence.” — Th e Health
Mosquitoes are found to favour type O blood more than other
types.
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