The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) will launch a nine-day nationwide cleanup action to wipe out potential breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitos, which are carriers of the dengue virus. The cleanup week will begin on Saturday, officials said yesterday.
Dengue fever is common in tropical regions. Symptoms include headaches, cramps, rashes and severe muscle and back pain that can last for two weeks.
More than 600 cases of dengue fever have been officially reported this year, including 383 cases in Kaohisung City.
Last month, health officials confirmed that the outbreak of dengue fever this year hit a 14-year high and the number of cases continues to grow.
Government records show that Taiwan's worst outbreak of dengue fever was in 1988, when 4,389 cases were reported.
Health officials said that the spread of the disease could be attributed to warmer temperatures, an increase in rainfall and lax efforts to eliminate pools of stagnant water which provide breeding grounds for mosquitos.
The epidemic worsened with recent rains in southern Taiwan, as the precipitation benefits the mosquito's reproductive capacities.
Beginning last Friday, Kaohsiung City launched a three-day cleanup in an attempt to halt the spread of the disease.
People have been urged to clear away objects within which stagnant water might accumulate, such as open containers, puddles, or discarded tires.
By last Sunday, 1005.3 tonnes of household waste produced by Kaohsiung City residents was removed.
Officials of the EPA's Bureau of Toxic Substance Management (毒管處) said the nationwide cleanup, beginning Aug. 10, would reduce the vulnerability of all counties and cities, because the growth in the virus-carrying mosquito population would be slowed.
Meanwhile, entomologists at National Taiwan University (NTU) said that measures adopted by the government, such as destroying mosquito breeding sites, was inadequate.
"Sprinkling environmental pesticides, which are effective in killing mosquitoes, should be carried out too," said Hsu Err-lieh (徐爾烈) of NTU's Department of Entomology.
However, when using environmental insecticide or pesticides, EPA officials said, registered types with low toxicity are recommended, in order to create fewer harmful effects on both humans and the environment.
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