By RK Shih/Staff. Images via Pingtung County Govt.
PINGTUNG — Pingtung County health officials are urging residents to step up mosquito prevention as hotter weather and summer rains increase the risk of dengue fever.
The Pingtung County Public Health Bureau (屏東縣政府衛生局) said standing water left in containers, gutters, balconies, rooftops, and drainage areas can quickly become breeding sites for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Residents are being asked to inspect indoor and outdoor spaces, especially within 48 hours after rain.
The bureau said dengue prevention depends heavily on daily environmental management. Residents should remove or drain standing water, clear blocked gutters and drains, pump out basement flooding, and keep water containers clean. Containers that must hold water should be emptied weekly and scrubbed to remove mosquito eggs from the inner walls.
Health officials also warned that mosquito-borne dengue outbreaks in several Southeast Asian and South Asian countries are higher than during the same period last year.
The bureau also urged medical providers to remain alert for patients with unexplained fever or recent travel to outbreak areas, and to ask about travel, occupation, contact, and cluster history, known in Taiwan as TOCC. Doctors should use dengue NS1 rapid tests when needed and report suspected cases promptly, officials said.
Public Health Bureau Director Chang Hsiu-chun (張秀君) said mosquitoes can breed in as little as 0.5 centimeters of standing water.
“There is no shortcut to dengue prevention,” Chang said, urging residents to follow the “inspect, empty, clean and scrub” approach, known in Chinese as xun, dao, qing, shua (巡、倒、清、刷).
More information is available from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (衛生福利部疾病管制署), the Pingtung County Public Health Bureau website, the national disease prevention hotline at 1922 or 0800-001-922, and the county disease prevention hotline at 08-738-0208.
